Articles | Volume 20, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5393-2026
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-5393-2026
Brief communication
 | 
21 Sep 2026
Brief communication |  | 21 Sep 2026

Brief communication: On the potential of dual-coil frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) systems to detect frozen layers in mountain permafrost environments

Mirko Pavoni, Mauro Guglielmin, Alexander Bast, Stefano Ponti, Emanuele Forte, Alberto Carrera, Luca Peruzzo, Simone Peracchi, Giorgio Cassiani, and Jacopo Boaga

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Cited articles

Bast, A., Pavoni, M., Lichtenegger, M., Buckel, J., and Boaga, J.: The Use of Textile Electrodes for Electrical Resistivity Tomography in Periglacial, Coarse Blocky Terrain: A Comparison With Conventional Steel Electrodes, Permafrost Periglac., 36, 110–122, https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp.2257, 2025. 
Binley, A. and Slater, L.: Resistivity and induced polarization: Theory and applications to the near-surface earth, Cambridge University Press, https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108685955, 2020. 
Blanchy, G., Saneiyan, S., Boyd, J., McLachlan, P., and Binley, A.: ResIPy, an intuitive open source software for complex geoelectrical inversion/modeling, Comput. Geosci., 137, 104423, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cageo.2020.104423, 2020. 
Boaga, J.: The use of FDEM in hydrogeophysics: A review, J. Appl. Geophys., 139, 36–46, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2017.02.011, 2017. 
Boaga, J., Phillips, M., Noetzli, J., Haberkorn, A., Kenner, R., and Bast, A.: A comparison of frequency domain electro-magnetometry, electrical resistivity tomography and borehole temperatures to assess the presence of ice in a rock glacier, Front. Earth Sci., 8, 586430, https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.586430, 2020. 
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Short summary
This study explores the potential of the frequency-domain electromagnetic (FDEM) method for investigating mountain permafrost environments such as rock glaciers. Although less accurate than electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), FDEM allows rapid measurements of subsurface electrical properties and requires much lower logistical effort, making it suitable for preliminary surveys in remote areas and for large-scale site characterization.
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