DENOISING RESISTIVITY PHOSPHATE “DISTURBANCES” USING HAAR MOTHER WAVELET TRANSFORM (SIDI CHENNANE, MOROCCO)

Saad Bakkali

Description

Abstract
Wavelet transforms originated in geophysics in the early 1980s for the analysis of seismic signals. Since then,
significant mathematical advances in wavelet theory have enabled a suite of applications in diverse fields. In geophysics, the power of wavelets for analysis of non stationary processes that contain multiscale features, detection of ingularities, analysis of transient phenomena, fractal and multifractal processes, and signal compression is now being exploited for the study of several processes including resistivity surveys. The present paper deals with denoising Moroccan phosphate “disturbances” resistivity data? map using the Haar wavelet mother transform method. The results show a significant suppression of noise and a very good smoothing and recovery of resistivity anomalies.
Resumen
La transformada Wavelet tuvo sus orígenes a inicios de los 80’s en el análisis de señales sísmicas, que debido a
avances matemáticos significativos han permitido su aplicación a diversos campos. La energía de la ondícula
usada en el análisis de procesos no estacionarios con rasgos de múltiples escalas, detecciones de singularidades,
análisis de fenómenos transientes, procesos fractales y multifractales, y compresión de señales, es aplicada a
diferentes procesos incluyendo sondeos de resistividad. Este artículo muestra la atenuación del ruido en el mapa de perturbaciones de resistividad en los Fosfatos Marroquíes mediante el uso de la ondícula Haar en la transformada Wavelet. Los resultados indican una atenuación significativa del ruido, un buen suavizado y recuperación de las anomalías de resistividad.

Sujets

• Resistivity
• Phosphate
• Disturbance
• Haar
• Wavelet

Informations

• Publié par: erevistas
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2008
• Nombre de lectures: 13
• Langue: English

Extrait

EARTH SCIENCES
RESEARCH JOURNAL
Earth Sci. Res. J. Vol. 12, No. 1 (June 2008): 62-71
DENOISING RESISTIVITY PHOSPHATE “DISTURBANCES” USING
HAAR MOTHER WAVELET
TRANSFORM (SIDI CHENNANE, MOROCCO)
1 2Saad Bakkali and Mahacine Amrani
1Earth Sciences Department Geosciences & Environment Group
Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco
[e-mail]
2Engineering Process Department
Faculty of Sciences and Techniques, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tangier, Morocco
[e-mail]
Abstract
Wavelet transforms originated in geophysics in the early 1980s for the analysis of seismic signals. Since then,
significant mathematical advances in wavelet theory have enabled a suite of applications in diverse fields. In
geophysics, the power of wavelets for analysis of non stationary processes that contain multiscale features, de-
tection of singularities, analysis of transient phenomena, fractal and multifractal processes, and signal compres-
sion is now being exploited for the study of several processes including resistivity surveys. The present paper
deals with denoising Moroccan phosphate “disturbances” resistivity data? map using the Haar wavelet mother
transform method. The results show a significant suppression of noise and a very good smoothing and recovery
of resistivity anomalies.
Key words: resistivity, phosphate, disturbance, Haar, wavelet, Sidi Chennane, Morocco.
Resumen
La transformada Wavelet tuvo sus orígenes a inicios de los 80’s en el análisis de señales sísmicas, que debido a
avances matemáticos significativos han permitido su aplicación a diversos campos. La energía de la ondícula;
usada en el análisis de procesos no estacionarios con rasgos de múltiples escalas, detecciones de singularidades,
análisis de fenómenos transientes, procesos fractales y multifractales, y compresión de señales, es aplicada a
diferentes procesos incluyendo sondeos de resistividad. Este artículo muestra la atenuación del ruido en el mapa
Manuscript received April 7, 2008.
Accepted for publication June 2, 2008.
62DENOISING RESISTIVITY PHOSPHATE “DISTURBANCES” USING HAAR MOTHER WAVELET
TRANSFORM (SIDI CHENNANE, MOROCCO)
de perturbaciones de resistividad en los Fosfatos Marroquíes mediante el uso de la ondícula Haar en la
transformada Wavelet. Los resultados indican una atenuación significativa del ruido, un buen suavizado y
recuperación de las anomalías de resistividad.
Palabras clave: Resistividad, fosfato, perturbaciones, Haar, ondícula, Sidi Chennane, Marrueco.
Introduction many scientific areas. This method is a widely used
technique that is applicable to the filtering geo-
Geophysical Data are often contaminated with
physical data (Kumar et al., 1997).
noise and artifacts coming from various sources.
The present paper deals with denoising Moroc-The presence of noise in data distorts the character-
can phosphate “disturbances” resistivity data map us-istics of the geophysical signal resulting in poor
ing the Haar mother wavelet transform method.quality of any subsequent processing. Conse-
(include Reference) The results show a high signifi-quently the first step in any processing of such geo-
cant suppression of the noise and a very goodphysical data is the “cleaning up” of the noise in a
smoothing and recovery of the resistivity anomaliesway that preserves the signal sharp variations.
signal. So the Haar wavelet mother transform pro-Wavelet transforms are relatively recent develop-
cessing is thought to be a good method to geophysi-ments that have fascinated the scientific, engineer-
cal anomaly filtering and optimizing estimation ofing, and mathematics community with their
phosphate reserves.versatile applicability. For geophysical processes,
in particular, tools that offer the ability to examine
the variability of a process at different scales are
The geophysical context
especially important. Wavelet analysis is an
emerging field of applied mathematics that has Resistivity is an excellent parameter and marker for
provided new tools and algorithms for solving such distinguishing between different types and degree of
problems as are encountered in fault diagnosis, alteration of rocks. Resistivity surveys have long
modelling, identification, and control and optimi- been successfully used by geophysicists and engi-
zation (Kumar et al., 1994). The theory has ac- neering geologists and the procedures are well estab-
quired the status of a unifying theory underlying lished. (include Reference) The study area is the
many of the methods used in physics and signal Oulad Abdoun phosphate basin which contain the
processing. The decision as to which representa- Sidi Chennane deposit. The Sidi Chennane deposit is
tion (expansion) to use for a signal, for example sedimentary and contains several distinct phos-
wavelet expansion versus Fourier or spline expan- phate-bearing layers. These layers are found in con-
sion depends on the purpose of the analysis. Wave- tact with alternating layers of calcareous and
lets have become increasingly popular for argillaceous hardpan. However, the new deposit
analyzing data in the geosciences. Wavelets re-ex- contains many inclusions or lenses of extremely
press data collected over a time span or spatial re- tough hardpan locally known as “derangements” or
gion such that variations over temporal/spatial “disturbances” (figure 1), found throughout the
scales are summarized in wavelet coefficients. In- phosphate-bearing sequence (Kchikach et al., 2002).
dividual coefficients depend upon both a scale and The hardpan pockets are normally detected only at
a temporal/spatial location, so wavelets are ideal the time of drilling. Direct exploration methods such
for analyzing geo-systems with interacting scales as well logging or surface geology are not particu-
(Riedi, 1998). So, the wavelet transform filtering larly effective They interfere with field operations
method has become a powerful signal and image and introduce a severe bias in the estimates of phos-
processing tool which has found applications in phate reserves (figure 2).
63SAAD BAKKALI AND MAHACINE AMRANI
* Phosphate “Disturbance”.
The study area was selected for its repre- the present case the targets were the inclusions called
sentativity and the resistivity profiles were designed perturbations. The amplitude of an anomaly may be
to contain both disturbed and enriched areas. The assumed to be proportional to the volume of a target
sections were calibrated by using vertical electrical body and to the resistivity contrast with the mother
soundings. High values of apparent resistivity were lode. If the body has the same resistivity as the mother
encountered due to the presence of near-vertical lode no anomaly will be detected. Thus assumed in
faulting between areas of contrasting resistivity, and fact and in first approach that the resistivity anomalies
fault zones which may contain more or less highly would be representative of the local density contrast
conducting fault gouge. The gouge may contain between the disturbances and the mother lode. Level
gravel pockets or alluvial material in a clay matrix. disturbance of the anomalous zones is proportionnal to
Such anomalous sections are also classified as distur- resistivity intensity (figure 4). (Bakkali, 2005;
bances. Apparent resistivity values in these profiles Bakkali, 2006). 2006 (1)? 2006 (2)?
locally exceeded 200 ?m. (Bakkali, 2005; Bakkali
et al., 2006).
The wavelet analysis approach
The apparent resistivity map (figure 3) obtained
from a further survey was considered in fact a map of The wavelet transform is a time-frequency decompo-
discrete potentials on the free surface, and any major sition which links a time (or space) domain function
singularity in the apparent resistivities due to the pres- to its time-scale wavelet domain representation. The
ence of a perturbation will be due to the crossing from concept of scale is broadly related to frequency.
a “normal” into a “perturbed” area or vice versa. In Small scales relate to short duration, high frequency
other words, the apparent resistivity map may be con- features and correspondingly, large scales relate to
sidered a map of scalar potential differences assumed long duration, low frequency features (Daubechies,
to be harmonic everywhere except over the perturbed 1990). Wavelets are functions that satisfy certain
areas. Interpretation of resistivity anomalies is the pro- mathematical requirements and are used in represent-
cess of extracting information on the position and ing data or other function. In the signal analysis
composition of a target mineral body in the ground. In framework, the wavelet transform of the time (or
64DENOISING RESISTIVITY PHOSPHATE “DISTURBANCES” USING HAAR MOTHER WAVELET
TRANSFORM (SIDI CHENNANE, MOROCCO)
Figure 2: (A) Location of the studied area in the sedimentary basin of Ouled Abdoun. (B) Section showing the disruption of
the exploitation caused by disturbances. (C) Stratigraphical log of the phosphatic series of Sidi Chennane: (1) Hercynian
massif; (2) phosphatic areas; (3) marls; (4) phosphatic; marls; (5) phosphatic layer; (6) limestones; (7) phosphatic