STUDY OF SURFICIAL WEATHERING PROFILES USING HELICOPTER BORNE TRANSIENT ELECTROMAGNETIC SURVEYS: A CASE STUDY IN MAYOTTE VOLCANIC ISLAND

In weathered volcanic tropical islands, geological studies are often limited due to the generally poorly outcropping conditions. Ground geophysical campaigns are also hard to perform due to difficult access in densely populated and forested areas. Recognition of geometric and petrographic characteristics of weathering mantles is a prerequisite to provide sustainable solutions to the management of natural hazards. In this particular context, airborne TDEM appears as a promising method to provide precise information about the Regolith. In 2010, the BRGM (the French geological survey) and the Prefecture of Mayotte decided to fund a geological mapping project including a heliborne TDEM resistivity survey of Mayotte. The SkyTEM helicopter borne transient