Laboratory Electrical DC Resistivity of Serpentinite, Graphite, Oxide and Sulfide Minerals

Radar remote sensing and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) are effective techniques for geological subsurface investigations. Planetary missions, such as Apollo-17 and Change-3, have used GPR as a tool for investigating the Earths moon surface. Electrical DC resistivity of chalcopyrite, galena, graphite, hematite, ilmenite, magnetite, pyrite, pyrrhotite and serpentinite was assessed using a Cryogen-Free Measurement System (CFMS) over a temperature range of 10K-300K. The objective of this work is to contribute to radar and Ground Penetrating Radar sensing data interpretation as electrical DC conductivity (or its inverse, resistivity) is related to radar signal loss. The samples were characterized by analyzing the hand specimens and by using a petrographic microscope. Semi quantitative chemical composition has been assessed by using a Scanning Electronic Microscope (SEM) attached to an Electron Dispersive Spectroscopy detector (EDS). Linear regression was executed for understanding the linearity of the relationship between current and voltage. The temperature dependence of resistivity was determined for each sample.