Water-Based Frequency Domain Electromagnetic Surveys at the Callahan Mine Superfund Site in Brooksville, Maine: October 2016 to May 2017

In October 2016 and May 2017 frequency domain electromagnetic (FDEM) methods were used to image the electrical conductivity of the shallow subsurface. Electrical conductivity can be caused by changes in the soil, overburden, saturation, and water quality. Two multi-frequency tools were used at the site. One of the tools has a 1.6-meter (m) long antenna that was used in the vertical-dipole mode to collect data in stepped-frequency mode at seven user-selected frequencies ranging from 1530 to 47,970 Hertz (Hz). The GEM2HG tool has an antenna that is 2.1 m long, and it was used in vertical dipole mode with five stepped frequencies ranging from 90 to 24,000 Hz. In general, the lower frequencies penetrate to deeper depths, but the data are an average over a larger volume; whereas higher frequencies penetrate only to shallow depths but provide a smaller volume-averaged measurement. A plastic-pipe frame was used to keep the antenna at a fixed distance of 1.0 m above water surface to minimize noise induced by variation in tool position. Profiling data were collected at walking speeds of approximately 3 kilometer per hour(km/hr), with a full suite of seven frequencies measured every 0.5 seconds (s), which translates to a complete measurement suite about every 0.4 m along the profile. All measurement positions were mapped with a global positioning system (GPS). Both the primary and secondary fields were measured at the receiver coil, and the ratio of the secondary to primary magnetic fields was recorded as in-phase and quadrature. The in-phase part of the EM field relates to the magnetic susceptibility, and the quadrature component relates to apparent conductivity (aEC) . Raw data for each frequency and Q Sum (a summation of quadrature values) were recorded in parts per million (ppm). In post processing, EM data were converted to magnetic susceptibility and aEC, which can be inverted to get the actual depth of the electrical conductivity value. This data release provides the raw ppm values, the magnetic susceptibility, and the apparent electrical conductivity values.

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  "geospatial"
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