An alternative algorithm for one-dimensional magnetotelluric response calculation

The magnetotelluric response of a given conductivity model is obtained from the solution of Maxwell's differential equations. In the case of a one-dimensional model, the response function is usually expressed as a recursive formula connecting the impedance at the surface of two successive layers. The present paper describes an alternative algorithm for computing the 1D-magnetotelluric response function using a recursive formula for electromagnetic fields at the top of two consecutive layers. Special attention is paid to the conception of the algorithm in the form of matrix multiplication, which offers advantages in its application. An example is presented to illustrate the potential use of the proposed scheme. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.