Inapplicability of pulse train time‐domain measurements to spectral induced polarization
The method of induced polarization (IP) is based on the frequency dependence of resistivity of rocks. In spectral IP the apparent resistivity is measured at a wide‐frequency band (e.g., 1/1024…4096 Hz). The apparent resistivity depends upon the distribution of the resistivity of the earth according to the laws of electromagnetism. On the basis of their spectral measurements Pelton et al. (1978) proposed that variations in mineral texture give rise to variations in the frequency spectra of resistivity. It should thus be feasible to use these spectra to discriminate between, say, graphite and sulfides. The frequency domain and the time domain are equivalent in a linear and causal system, the domains being interrelated through the Fourier transform. The time domain is attractive in that the whole transient can be recorded in a single measurement. Hence, there are devices in commercial use that record spectra in the time domain by measuring the voltage transient at a number of instances after the current pulse has been switched off. The primary current signal in these devices is generally a pulse train composed of pulses of finite duration. The pulse train has advantages over the single pulse because it permits the measurements to be repeated and thus improves the signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio of the measurements.