:LQ6HY

Instruction manual

Electrical soundings processing

for Windows

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 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

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1.1. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS.............................................................................. 4
1.2. SOFTWARE PROTECTION ........................................................................................................... 4
1.3 THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES USED BY THE PROGRAM..................................................................... 4
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2.1 PROGRAM INSTALLATION ............................................................................................................... 5
2.2 FIRST SCREEN .............................................................................................................................. 5
2.3 RESISTIVIMETER FILE IMPORTATION ............................................................................................... 5
2.4 ENTERING AND EDITING FIELD DATA ............................................................................................... 5
2.5 LOADING AND SAVING ELECTRICAL SOUNDING FILES ........................................................................ 7
2.6 DRAWING UP THE ELECTRICAL MODEL ............................................................................................ 7
2.6.1 AUTOMATIC MODEL CREATION (INVERSE MODELING) ................................................................... 7
2.6.2 AUTOMATIC MODEL ADJUSTMENT ............................................................................................... 8
2.6.3 FIXING THE MODEL’S PARAMETERS ............................................................................................ 8
2.6.4 SAVING THE MODEL................................................................................................................... 9
2.6.5 SUPERPOSING CURVES ............................................................................................................. 9
2.7 PRINTING ................................................................................................................................. 9
2.8 OPTIONS .................................................................................................................................... 10
2.9 MAKING FILES FOR EXCEL.......................................................................................................... 10
2.10 SETTING THE PROFILE ............................................................................................................. 11
2.11 PRINTING THE PROFILE............................................................................................................ 11
2.12 EXTRACTION OF FILES FOR SURFER ......................................................................................... 11
2.13 HELP ...................................................................................................................................... 11
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and his employees, associates, or students are enabled to run only one copy at once.

:*HR6RIW does not make any warranty as to the performance of this program. The user
assumes the entire risk as to the quality and performance of this program. In no event shall :
*HR6RIW be liable for any indirect, special, or consequential damages, such as, but not limited
to, loss of benefits resulting from the use of this program.

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 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

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 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

 ,1752'8&7,21
The WinSev 6 program is designed for the processing of electrical soundings
made using the Schlumberger, Wenner or the pole-pole (also called two-
electrode or dipole) spreads. The user may enter a model with up to 20 layers,
or alternatively let the program create a model automatically (inverse
modeling). The model may be modified by the user and/or be adjusted by the
program in a least square sense. Any thickness or resistivities may be fixed so
that the adjustment does not modify them.

With this program, you may also draw profiles of several electrical soundings,
including of data extracted from resistivity tomography.

Miguel Borreguero and Jacques Jenny developed this program between 1993
and 2008.

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This program needs:

• A PC computer running Windows (95/NT or up)

• A CD-ROM drive and a hard drive. The program takes less than 2 MB
• A color screen 1024 x 768 SVGA is recommended

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during GD\V. In order to continue to use the program, you have to buy it.
The program is installed in demonstration mode. In this mode, you can test it

You may unlock the program either by installing the dongle or by entering the
NH\ FRGH. Both are supplied when you buy the program. In order to get the
NH\ FRGH you must send the VLWH FRGH to your W_GeoSoft product supplier,
who will send you the corresponding NH\ FRGH

The program may be transferred to any other PC following the instructions of

the menu Utility/Transfer WinSev to other PC/How to transfer to other PC.

 7KHRUHWLFDOSULQFLSOHVXVHGE\WKHSURJUDP

The calculation of the theoretical curve uses the method described by O.

KOEFOED, 1979, Geosounding principles for the Schlumberger spread, and
by U.C. DAS and S.K. VERMA, 1980 Geophysical prospecting for the Wenner
and the two-electrode spreads. The program calculates 8 points per decade.
The principles of electrical sounding are described in the appendix A.

4
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

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Insert W_GeoSoft CD-ROM in the drive and open the wgeosoft.htm. Click on
WinSev in the Geoelectrical Sounding section.

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In the first window, you can begin a new sounding, open an existing file, open
the last file or open the help file.

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In FILE/CONVERSION menu you can convert some data files produced by

some resistivimeters. If you do not find your resistivimeter here, contact us, an
e-mail with some files example is the best solution.

You can also extract one ore more (up to 100) files from data of resistivity
tomography in Wenner array. The data may be extracted from sorted files
produced by the program RES2DINV (not supplied). The soundings extracted
by the program are saved with an automatically generated model. Usually,
one has refine this model.

2.4 Entering and editing field data

Click on the  icon (Start or correct a SEV) or select NEW FILE in the FILE
WK

menu.

The field data may be entered either as calculated, or as crude values of

distances, currents and

the geometry factors N

voltages. The values of

and the apparent

resistivities are then
calculated by the
program when you
click on the &RPSXWH
button.

The values of MN/2

and AB/2 (or BN and
AM if using the two-

be in PHWHUV. The
electrode spread) must

values of the current

and voltage may be in full units, milli-units or micro-units, or any other units,
provided both are of the same magnitude.

5
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

If you click on V+LIW FXUYH or &RPSXWH after having entered a new line but
without having entered a resistivity value, the program automatically suggests
the value of 1 Ohm·m.

The values of your usual array may be stored in a file named DATAVES.TXT
for the Schlumberger spread, DATADIP.TXT for the two-electrode spread or
DATAWEN.TXT for the Wenner spread. The user has to create these files for
his particular spread, using the NOTEPAD editor supplied with Windows, or
any other text editor. Take care not to leave any blank line after the end of the
data set! An example file DATAVES.TXT is supplied with the program.

With the Schlumberger spread, differences in apparent resistivities resulting

from the change of the MN electrodes may be compensated by clicking the
V+LIW FXUYH button. Note that the data should be entered in growing order of
the AB distances. If two (but only two) measurements are introduced with AB
values inverted (as often done in practice during the MN change procedure),
these measurements will be replaced in growing order when clicking on the
&RPSXWHor the V+LIW button. This function shifts the curve segments right of
each new MN of the difference in resistivity at the particular new MN. The
resulting curve is thus completely compensated of the differences in
resistivities at each new MN.

With the Schlumber and Wenner spread, you may activate the “Half-array”
box, if one of the current electrodes is at infinity.

When saving the data to a file, as when leaving this window, the program only
takes into account the values resulting of the last &RPSXWH or V+LIW FXUYH
mode, so as to avoid any incoherence in the saved, displayed or printed
values. Any modifications (shifting, new line, new value, ...) that have not been
subject to a &RPSXWHor a V+LIWFXUYHfunction will not be kept on leaving this
window.

The couples <AB/2; apparent resistivity> are updated on the graph after each
calculation and shifting. The curves already present on the graph are redrawn
when leaving this window.

3OHDVHQRWH: if you save a « shifted » sounding with only values of AB/2 and
apparent resistivity (but no crude values), it is clearly impossible to get back
the original unshifted data. It is recommended to save such soundings only
under their original form, and to shift them only during processing for
interpretation or printing.

The curves are calculated and drawn until six times the value of the greatest
AB/2 (of the longest sounding if more than one are displayed).

+LQWV: It is possible to draw curves without points appearing on the graph if

entering fictive points with resistivities outside the graph window. If a single
fictive couple is entered, the model will not be printed when printing.

6
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

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Click on the GLUHFWRU\ icon or select READ from the FILE menu to load, and on
the GLVNicon or select SAVE from the FILE menu to save.

You can also save the field data and the model of a sounding from the HGLWLRQ
window and the GUDZLQJXSwindow.

The electrical soundings are saved as files with the extension .WS3 files.

 'UDZLQJXSWKHHOHFWULFDOPRGHO

Click on the FDOFXODWRUicon or select MODEL from the DATA menu.

On seeing the bilogarithmic curve, the user’s experience will allow him to
quickly suggest a model. Alternatively, this model can be suggested by the
program (inverse modeling) or be deduced from geological or drilling data. If
entered manually, at least 2 resistivities and 1 thickness must be entered
before calculating the corresponding curve by clicking the &RPSXWH button.
The program displays the calculated curve and the field data (except if you
have activated the 6XSHUSRVLWLRQ option; see below).

Depending on the fitting of the curve, the user will have to adjust the model,
manually or automatically, to fit the curve as well as possible to the field data.

The model(s) can also be displayed graphically on the graphic window. The
name of the displayed model(s) is (are) written at the bottom left of the graphic
window.

The depth shown in the grid cannot be modified manually, but is updated at
each calculation and adjustment.

The values and modifications which have been subject to a &RPSXWHor )LWWLQJ
function remain in memory, even when leaving this window, until another
sounding is loaded. The coordinates, title and commentaries are only kept if
the model is saved.

3OHDVH QRWH: The last layer taken into account is identified by a thickness
equal to zero, even if it is not the last of the model. Zero resistivity values are
changed to 0.001 for each calculation. At each calculation or automatic
adjustment, all model parameters are rounded off to two significant numbers.

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The program can automatically suggest a model which resulting curve fits as
well as possible the field data. For that, click on the )LWWLQJ button of the
'UDZLQJXSwindow, with thickness and resistivity of the first layer being empty
or equal to zero.

7
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual
The automatic model creation is proposed automatically if you ask for
adjustment without a previous model. If you wish automatic model creation
and a model already exists, you have to delete or set to zero the thickness
and thickness of the first layer before clicking on the )LWWLQJbutton.

At each creation (which includes an adjustment), all model parameters are

rounded off to two significant numbers.

Always keep in mind that an automatically created model is merely a suitable

model, but does not take into account the local geology. In case of poorly
contrasted layers or steadily increasing or decreasing resistivities, as well as
curves influenced by irregular topography (e.g. resistivities increasing at more
than 45° on the logarithmic scale!) the automatic model creation may give
unsatisfaying results. The model can be improved by adding or deleting layers
and by taking into account the equivalence principle.

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The program can automatically adjust a model to the field data in a least
square sense. For that, click on the )LWWLQJbutton in the 'UDZLQJXSwindow,
after having entered at least two layers or having asked for an automatic
model creation (note that this function already includes an adjustment).

At each adjustment, all model parameters are rounded off to two significant
numbers. The layers becoming less than 0.01 m thick during adjustment are
automatically removed.

Always keep in mind that an adjusted model is merely a suitable model, but
does not take into account the local geology. In case of poorly contrasted
layers or steadily increasing or decreasing resistivities, as well as curves
influenced by irregular topography (e.g. resistivities increasing at more than
45° on the logarithmic scale!) the adjustment may give unsatisfying results.
The model can be improved by adding or deleting layers and by taking into
account the equivalence principle.

 )L[LQJWKHPRGHO¶VSDUDPHWHUV

you want during adjustment by GRXEOHFOLFNLQJ LQ WKH FRUUHVSRQGLQJ GDWD

You can prevent resistivity and/or thickness variations of as many layers as

FHOO. The fixed cell color is yellow with red numbers and it will not be modified
during automatic adjustment.

This is very useful to calibrate en electrical sounding against information from

other sources. You can for example fix thickness established through another
method (seismic, mechanical sounding, outcrops) to only adjust resistivities.
For highly stratified ground, you will have to correct the electrical model’s
thickness by an anisotropy factor λ (see appendix).

The fixed parameter is proper to the calculation window during use and will not
be saved, nor with the sounding during processing, nor in the file of this

8
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual
sounding. This parameter is ignored and deleted when you ask for an
automatic model creation.

 6DYLQJWKHPRGHO

When the model suggested fits satisfactorily with the field data, you can save
the model in the same file as the field data by clicking on the 5HFRUGbutton of
the 'UDZLQJXSwindow.

 6XSHUSRVLQJFXUYHV

It is possible to superpose the curve corresponding to the model shown with

the curve(s) already shown by clicking on the 6XSHUSRVLWLRQ button of the
'UDZLQJ XS window before asking a calculation or an adjustment (with or
without automatic model creation) of the shown model.

This function draws in black the curves already shown (and the graphical
models if this option is activated), and draws the new curve over them
normally.

It is also possible to superpose the curves of several different soundings. In

this case, the curves are calculated and drawn until six times the value of the
greatest AB/2 of the longest sounding.

The names of the drawn soundings are shown at the bottom left of the graph.
It is possible to select these names as a text (after leaving the 'UDZLQJ XS
window) and to copy/paste them in this window as graph title or commentary.

If more than one sounding of the same field data set are superposed, the
arrows below the command buttons of the Drawing up window are activated,
and the number of the current model is shown between them. You may then
go quickly from one model to another, in order to compare them and choose
the best most convenient.

 3ULQWLQJ

Click on the SULQWHUicon or select PRINTER from the menu.

This program allows you to set the colors of the graphical elements (which are
also applied to the interpretation screen), the font and the page of the printing.
You may choose to print only the first page (with the curve and the model) or
the two pages (including the field data).

The printing may be sent to the printer, to the clipboard (only the shown page)
or to a Windows metafile by pressing the IORSS\ icon (only the shown page).

9
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual
If the altitude of the
electrical sounding is
given (to be entered in
the 'UDZLQJ XS
window) and there are
more than one couple
of field data, the
altitudes of the top of
each layer are also
printed with the model.
These altitudes are
rounded to maximum
one decimal, if any
decimal is present in
the corresponding
depth or the altitude of
the electrical sounding.
At any time, you can capture a screen using the COPY TO CLIPBOARD
function of the UTILITY menu and paste this picture as a BMP.

 2SWLRQV

Select the UTILITY/ BILOG OPTIONS menu or “Bilog Setup”.

You can choose your

language between
English, French,
German and Spanish
for printing and
between English,
French and Spanish on
the screen.

It is possible to define
the graph’s window, to
show a graphical
representation of the
model, to show the
residual adjustment errors in percent and to choose between the
Schlumberger, Wenner and the two-electrode spreads. In case of superposed
curves, the parameters of these options apply to all curves. These are
updated when leaving this menu.

Residual adjustment errors are not valid for superposed curves of different
electrical soundings. The scale of the residual adjustment errors is not shown.
It begins always at 1% and has the same progression as the resistivity scale.
These settings will also apply to the printing.

10
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual
 0DNLQJILOHVIRU(;&(/

The curves of the calculated soundings and the corresponding models (but
without the residual adjustment errors) may be saved in text files easy to
import with EXCEL, in order to set up the graphs at your convenience in an
EXCEL sheet. To do this, choose « save for XL » in the File/Fichiers menu.
These files have an extension .WXL.

 6HWWLQJWKHSURILOH

Click on “Profile Data”. In this window,

you may define the settings of the
profile. First, select the files containing
the soundings of the profile with the
button “Select SEV”. Then, define the
horizontal and vertical scales in order
to match with the page size.

The “Fill” check box allows to fill the

profile when the soundings are exactly
equally spaced, which is the case for
soundings extracted from tomographic data (see chapter 2.3). The right figure
of chapter 2.11 shows such a profile.

 3ULQWLQJWKHSURILOH

Click on “SEV Profile” to show and control the profile before printing as for the
windows “Print Bilog” (see chapter 2,6).

 ([WUDFWLRQRIILOHVIRU6XUIHU

In the main menu File/Fichiers, chose the command “Extraction for Surfer” to
extract data from a number of VES in order to map these data with Surfer (not
supplied).

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Click on the Help icon or press the key F1. This help exists in English or in
French.

11
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

$SSHQGLFHV

$ 5HPLQGHURQHOHFWULFDOVRXQGLQJWKHRU\

of a horizontally layers earth by measuring the DSSDUHQW UHVLVWLYLW\ at the

The electrical soundings are bases on the modeling of the electrical properties

surface. From this, you can deduce the WUXH UHVLVWLYLW\ of the ground, and
from the resistivity, the composition of the different layers.

To measure the apparent resistivity, some current is injected using two

electrodes called A and B, and the potential is measured between two other
electrodes called M and N. In the Schlumberger spread, the distance between
A and B varies as well as the distance between M and N. In the Wenner
spread, the distances between the four electrodes are the same and are
called « a », the four electrodes being displaced at every step. In the two-
electrode spread, the B and N electrodes are placed at « infinity » (at least 10
times the distance AM), each side and perpendicularly to the AM segment.
Only the distance between the electrodes of this segment is varied.

7KH6FKOXPEHUJHUVSUHDG

Current source

Potentiometer

Electrode A+ Electrode B-
M N

12
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

The resistivity of rocks is a highly variable parameter going from 1 to a few

Ohm·meter for clay or marl to one or more thousands Ohm·meter for gravel.

Dry rocks or sediments have a very high resistivity, whereas water bearing or
saturated sediments become much less resistant, especially if the water is
salty.

10E-1 10E0 10E1 10E2 10E3 10E4 10E5 10E6

Igneous rocks

Metamorphic rocks

Limestones

Porous limestones

Sandstones

Gravels

Sand

Marls

Clays

Ohm·m
([DPSOHRIUHVLVWLYLW\UDQJHVIRUVRPHURFNVDQGVHGLPHQWV

The results of an electrical sounding are shows as a diagram, where half the
distance AB for the Schlumberger spread, the distance « a » for the Wenner
spread and the distance AM for the two-electrode spread is the abscissa. The
apparent resistivity (true resistivity for the graphical model if shown), in
Ohm·meter, is the ordinate.

13
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

Electrical soundings do not always give a unique geological solution, specially

when the resistivities are poorly contrasted and/or the layers are thin.

The transversal resistance of a layer is the product of its resistivity by its

thickness. Experience shows that we can have nearly identical curves for
layers of different thickness, as long as the product of these two parameters

HTXLYDOHQFHSULQFLSOH.
remains more or less constant. This physical principle is known as the

The VXSSUHVVLRQ SULQFLSOH only applies to thin layers or layers which

resistivity is intermediate to that of the layers above and beyond. Such layers
nearly do not influence the shape of the curve as long as their thickness
remains small. As a consequence, they are also difficult to detect.

By doing several electrical soundings in the same area, you may, in some
cases, get additional information that may help to resolve structures that a
single sounding will not be able to.

For strongly stratified ground, it can be necessary to take into account the
DQLVRWURS\FRHIILFLHQWλ such as:

model_thickness = λ • real_thickness with λ ≥ 1.

For sands and stratified gravels, λ ≈1.3

For thin alternating layers of limestones and marls, λ < 2

For regularly alternating layers A and B, λ is calculated as:

λ = {1/[ha + hb]2 • [ρa•ha+ ρb•hb] • [(ha/ρa)+(hb/ρb)]}0.5

where ρa and hb are the resistivities and thickness of the layers.

It is quite clear that the recognition of an anisotropy and the appraisal of its

outcrop, or another geophysical method. Always keep in mind that WKH

coefficient is impossible without geological information such as a drilling or an

PRGHO¶V WKLFNQHVV ZLOO DOZD\V EH RYHUHVWLPDWHG FRPSDUHG WR WKH UHDO
WKLFNQHVV.

These different phenomena explain that the interpretation of electrical

drilling, or without an idea of the resistivities of the local lithological units FDQ
soundings without geological knowledge, without thickness calibration on a

OHDGWRJURVVO\ZURQJPRGHOV.

Nevertheless, this method remains extremely effective and precious in many

cases (water prospecting, gravel prospecting, etc.)

14
 :LQ6HY Instruction manual

% 6XFFLQFWELEOLRJUDSK\
'DV8&9HUPD6. (1980).- Digital linear filter for computing type curves
for the two-electrode system of resistivity sounding.-*HRSK\VLFDO
3URVSHFWLQJ28, 610-619

*RVK '3 (1971).- Inverse filter coefficients for computation of apparent

resistivity standard curves for horizontally stratified earth.- *HRSK
3URVSHFWLQJ19, 769-775

-RKDQVDQ+. (1977).- A Man/Computer Interpretation System for Resistivity

sounding over a horizontally stratified Earth.- Geoph. Prospecting 25,
667-691Kunetz, G. (1979). 3ULQFLSOHV RI GLUHFW FXUUHQW UHVLVLWLYLW\
SURVSHFWLQJ*HEUGHU%RUQWUDHJHU%HUOLQ

.RHIRHG2. (1979).- Geosounding principles.-(OVHYLHU3XEO&R$PVWHUGDP

.RHIRHG2*KRVK'33ROPDQ*- (1972).- Computation of type curves

for electromagnetic depth soundings with horizontal transmitting coil by
means of a digital linear filter, *HRSK\VLFDO3URVSHFWLQJ20, 406-420.

3DUDVQLV '6 (1979).-Principles of applied Geophysics,.&KDSPDQ DQG +DOO

/RQGRQ

3HNHULV&/ (1940).-Direct method of interpretation in resistivity prospecting.-

*HRSK\VLFV

15