Investigation of the magnetic and dielectric properties and their anisotropy of salt rocks

• Applicant: Dr. Volkmar Schmidt
• Subject Area: Geophysics
• Term: from 2013 to 2017
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 243619607

Salt rocks are an essential resource and play an important role in tectonic processes due to their special mechanical properties. Moreover, cavities in salt formations are used as storage and depository volumes for different materials. Knowledge of the formation, history, state and dynamics of salt rocks are therefore of great interest. Investigations of the rock fabric can give information on the internal structure and the deformation of salt deposits. A common method to characterize the rock fabric is measurement of the anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS). The AMS is generated by alignment of mineral grains. The advantages of the AMS method is the fast measurement and the analysis of large rock samples. It is often applied to rocks with a high content of ferromagnetic minerals.The aim of this project is the application of the AMS method to weakly magnetic salt rocks. To this end, the minerals that dominate the magnetic properties and generate a magnetic anisotropy are identified. Then the relationships between mineral fabric, chemical composition and magnetic properties are studied. This will allow for conclusions, how deformed zones and facies changes can be characterized by magnetic measurements. A further aim of this project is the examination of the dielectric properties of salt rocks. These properties govern the propagation of electromagnetic waves, which are commonly used to explore structures in salt deposits. In order to reliably combine the results of the different analyses, the measurements of physical properties, chemical properties, and fabric should be done using the same samples. The results of this project can help to develop novel methods to investigate the deformation of salt deposits, which can be decisive for their utilization.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Cooperation Partner: Professorin Dr. Ann M. Hirt