A Simple Method of Magnetotelluric Inversion in Two Dimensions

We present an approximate method for inverting magnetotelluric measurements in terms of two-dimensional structures. The inverse problem is formulated using a linear integral equation that is later converted into a system of linear equations with all quantities expressed analytically. The solution is sought in a single iteration using quadratic programming and imposing regularity conditions. The method is automatic and allows the use of large numbers of unknowns to approximate continuous variations in the ground. We present numerical experiments to validate the method, and applications to field data to illustrate its uses in interpretation. The applications include examples from Mexico, Central America and the United States.