Applications of magnetotellurics to petroleum exploration in Papua New Guinea: A model for frontier areas

Magnetotelluric (MT) data have been acquired at more than 500 stations in the fold belt of Papua New Guinea since 1988. The MT stations were recorded for several clients and in various Petroleum Prospecting Licenses (PPLs). Most of the MT stations were acquired along dip profiles, trending across the Papuan fold belt. A total of 32 profiles were recorded across mapped surface structures and faults. The data were collected primarily on outcrops of (often heavily karstified) Darai limestone. The spacing between MT stations on the profiles varied from 400–2500 m.