Data report: electrical resistivity of sediments from Site U1480, IODP Expedition 362, Sumatra subduction zone

Abstract

Electrical resistivity of sediments was analyzed using samples recovered during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 362, during which the input materials of the north Sumatran subduction zone were drilled to investigate the material properties linked to shallow seismogenic slip. Electrical resistivity is a valuable indicator for sediment consolidation, pore/grain structures, and distribution of fluid, which can affect the mechanical properties of the forearc wedge. Sediments were recovered from the seafloor to 1415.35 meters below seafloor (mbsf) at Site U1480 and from 1149.7 to 1500 mbsf at Site U1481. They consist of thick sequences of the Bengal-Nicobar Fan (Lithologic Units I–II) underlain by a thin pelagic/igneous sequence (Units III–V). In this study, electrical resistivity was measured on 35 sediment samples from Site U1480 with an Agilent 4294A component analyzer using the bridge method with a two-terminal circuit. Measured resistivity values range from 0.20 to 7.45 Ωm and generally increase with depth. Sample measurements are consistent with the downhole resistivity logs acquired during Expedition 362. Formation factor was calculated from sediment and seawater resistivities, and Archie’s coefficients (cementation [m] and tortuosity [b]) were examined from the relationship between formation factor and porosity. When plotting the sample resistivity in this study together with resistivity logs and shipboard porosity from Sites U1480 and U1481, a contrast in Archie’s coefficients are inferred between the Bengal-Nicobar Fan and pelagic sediments, where the former (m = 3.4–3.8) is characterized by higher m values compared to the latter (m = 2.2). These coefficients show differences in consolidation trend in the input sediments, providing improved equations to estimate porosity from resistivity logs.