Quantification of electrical properties of deep crustal rocks based on their mineral modal proportion, fabric, and pressure-temperature conditions

Electrical resistivity tomography and electromagnetic inverse modelling are particularly useful to explore orogenic systems because the most important conductive components of rock masses are economically-significant minerals (semi-metals like graphite, and semi-conducting minerals like sulphides), as well as certain clays and permeating saline fluids. Despite the efficiency of electrical measurements, anisotropic properties of the crust, which affect almost all acquired data, may lead to serious misinterpretation of the subsurface geology if they are ignored during data analysis. Understanding the geological causes of electrical anisotropy and heterogeneity, and considering their influence in field-scale electrical measurements, can provide crucial information on the crustal architecture, pore fluid network, as well as revealing the internal structure of fault zones, and increasing the accuracy of location of critical mineral deposits. To this end, we aim to quantify the electrical properties of mid- to lower-crustal metamorphic and magmatic lithologies based on their micro- to macrostructures, conductive components and fluid contents as measured by laboratory methods. Our research also contributes to, and advances, the likely outcomes of the ICDP-supported project DIVE (Drilling the Ivrea-Verbano ZonE). DIVE is currently exploring the hidden portions of the continental lower crust and crust-to-mantle transition zone of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone (Western Alps, Italy) in two boreholes at the sites of Megolo (DT-1a) and Ornavasso (DT-1b), separated by  7 km distance in Val d’Ossola. The first DIVE borehole, DT-1b, was completed in December 2022, reaching a depth of 578.5 metres, and rock cores of metapelite, gneiss, amphibolite, migmatite, and pegmatite were recovered. Some drillcores contained a range of potentially conductive lithologies, including sulphide- and graphite-bearing metapelites. In this research we are measuring electrical conductivity on a representative benchmark suite of bedrock outcrop samples from the region around the DIVE boreholes at elevated pressure and temperature. We are currently characterising the microstructural arrangement and distribution of conductive phases within these samples by electron beam methods. To properly understand electrical property measurements of the natural samples we determine the contributions of each key conductive phase (graphite and sulphides). The bulk resistivity of a mixture of quartz+10% graphite, which was synthesized in a solid–medium piston-cylinder apparatus, at temperature of 22.5 °C and pressure of 0.5 GPa, was found to be 1 Ω.m. No change in bulk resistivity was observed with increasing temperature up to 1000 °C. We will present the results of additional tests to be undertaken between January and April 2023 at this conference. Our data will be employed in interpretation of wireline electrical logs and borehole-to-surface electrical surveys from DT-1a and DT-1b.