Magnetotelluric survey for exploration of a volcanic‐rock reservoir in the Yurihara oil and gas field, Japan*

<jats:p>The Yurihara oil and gas field is located on the southern edge of Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan. In this area, drilling, surface geological surveys and many seismic surveys have been used to investigate the geological structure. Wells drilled into the Nishikurosawa Basalt Group (NBG) of Miocene age found oil and gas reservoirs at depths of 1.5–2 km. Oil and gas are now being produced commercially and further exploration is required in the surrounding areas. However, since the neighbouring areas are covered with young volcanic products from the Chokai volcano, and have a rough topography, the subsurface distribution of the NBG must be investigated using other methods in addition to seismic reflection. According to the well data, the resistivity of the NBG is comparatively higher than that of the overlying sedimentary formations, and therefore the magnetotelluric (MT) method is expected to be useful for the estimation of the distribution of the NBG.</jats:p><jats:p>An MT survey was conducted along three survey lines in this area. Each line trended east–west, perpendicular to the regional geological strike, and was composed of about 25 measurement sites. Induction vectors evaluated from the magnetic field show that this area has a two‐dimensional structure. The evaluated resistivity sections are in agreement with the log data. In conclusion, we were able to detect resistive layers (the NBG) below conductive layers. The results indicate that the NBG becomes gradually less resistive from north to south. In the centre of the northern line, an uplifted resistive area is interpreted as corresponding to the reservoir. By comparison with a seismic section, we prove the effectiveness of the integration of seismic and MT surveys for the investigation of the morphology and internal structure of the NBG. On other survey lines, the resistive uplifted zones are interpreted as possible prospective areas.</jats:p>