Towards marine controlled source EM (M-CSEM) data inversion : sensitivity analysis

Measurements of electrical resistivity beneath the seafloor have traditionally played a crucial role in hydrocarbon exploration. Electromagnetic (EM) sounding methods represent one of the few geophysical techniques which can provide information about the current state and properties of the deep continental crust and upper mantle. Marine controlled-source electromagnetic method is one of the electromagnetic techniques applied to offshore hydrocarbon exploration which is been widely utilized and provided encouraging results over the past few years. This thesis explores the sensitivity of Marine CSEM data with respect to the more important model parameters, namely the frequency, the background depth, target thickness and resistivity of the anomalous target layer. This analysis helps the interpreter to highlight the reliability of each model parameter in a complex CSEM inversion.