Some Notes Concerning the Wenner Configuration*

Abstract

This paper deals with the four electrode method of electrical resistivity prospecting using direct current. It is shown that three resistances can be measured for any four electrode configuration, and a simple relation between them is derived. The particular case of the Wenner electrode configuration is discussed and a further relation derived between the three apparent resistivities corresponding to the three resistances. The practical value of the (resistance relation as a means of avoiding experimental errors is indicated.In general the three apparent resistivities are different in magnitude although there are certain particular cases where they are equal to one another. Their actual values are determined for a number of simple problems and the possibility of having a negative apparent resistivity is illustrated.Finally, examples of field tests are given in which the three resistances were measured, and it is concluded that the method can often provide a simple way of distinguishing between the effects of lateral and vertical resistivity variations.

Resistivity Investigations of Limestone Aquifers in Jamaica

“…The operation was repeated using Cooper' s 4-electrode ~tup (Cooper 1934) in which the current base is lixed and the potential electrodes are moved synlmetrically in line with and outside the current Ijase. To assess the effect of lateral resistivity variations on observed apparent resistivities, the Wenner array was used in three Carpenter (1955) arrangements, the first of which was the ordinary Wenner setup CPPC, while the other two were CCPP and CPCP, where C denotes the current and P the potential contacts ( Figure 3). To assess the effect of lateral resistivity variations on observed apparent resistivities, the Wenner array was used in three Carpenter (1955) arrangements, the first of which was the ordinary Wenner setup CPPC, while the other two were CCPP and CPCP, where C denotes the current and P the potential contacts ( Figure 3).…”

Imageamento Elétrico Como Ferramenta De Monitoramento Do Comportamento Da Água No Solo

“…Para o arranjo de Wenner, que apresenta três variações, o valor de resistividade aparente é obtido conforme Tabela1 (Carpenter, 1955). Dentre as variações, o arranjo denominado α-Wenner, com eletrodos de potencial situados entre os eletrodos de corrente, é utilizado de maneira mais ampla.…”

Method to obtain standard pseudosections from pseudo pole–dipole arrays

“…Relations between the measured and calculated datasets are based on the tri-potential method, on the reciprocity theorem (Carpenter, 1955;Habberjam, 1967;Parasnis, 1988;Van Nostrand and Cook, 1966), and on the additive properties of the electric potential (see Fig. 1), which has been normalized by the injected current.…”

“…The method proposed here uses a four-electrode configuration and lies in the tri-potential method (Carpenter, 1955;Carpenter and Habberjam, 1956), whereby the relations between three Wenner resistances (alpha, beta and gamma) are derived.…”