| A magnetotelluric monitoring station has been installed in the Val d'Agri
area (southern Italy), to investigate the physics underlying the generation
mechanisms of the electrokinetic effect, due to rapid pore pressure changes
and fluid flows near the focal area of incoming earthquakes. It is well
known that the magnetotelluric method reveals variations in electrical
resistivity within the Earth at large depths, reaching within appropriate
frequency bands the Earth's mantle. Depth sounding is performed by measuring
the ratio between the mutually perpendicular horizontal electric and
magnetic fields at the earth's surface, furnishing the apparent resistivity,
which describes the electrical properties of subsoil as function of depth.
The selected site of Val d'Agri has been struck by strong seismic events in
past and recent years, this suggesting the investigation of possible changes
in apparent resistivity correlated with the local tectonic activity.
We analyzed the stability of the measurement of apparent resistivity and
phase of the impedance tensor Z(ω) during time. Our findings suggest that the
measure of apparent resistivity during night-time is more stable. Therefore,
we identified the characteristic apparent resistivity curve of the subsoil
of the Val d'Agri site, which could be considered as a reference. |