f Electrical conductivity of the earth crust in Europe

Far from relatively narrow conducting anomalies (graphite shist belts, fracture zones, etc.) the background electrical resistivity of the upper part of crystaline Earth crost reaches 105 -106 Ohm.m. It coincides with laboratory measurements if taken into account porosity value and water in pores. One could expect an increase of the resistivity with depth due to closing of pores. But unexpectedly resistivity is decreasing at dep th of 10-20 km practically for all investigated areas of Europe. Magnetotelluric soundings of the last decade showed that the conductivity value of the lower crost is similar to that of the sediment cover. This fact is in a sharp disagreement with high resistivity of the dry lower crost rocks derived from laboratory measurements.