Multi‐Scale Electrical Conductivity Model of the Contiguous United States

Abstract The completion of the Magnetotelluric (MT) USArray across the contiguous US enables continental‐scale 3‐D imaging of the asthenosphere‐lithosphere electrical structure. We present a novel 3‐D model of the contiguous United States (MECMUS), derived from a single inversion of the now‐completed USMTArray data set. To make the problem computationally feasible, we applied a novel multi‐scale 3‐D imaging approach. Based on locally refined model grids, it enables accurate modeling of 3‐D physics over a broad frequency range and electrical resistivity imaging from the upper crust to asthenospheric mantle. The model unveils a coherent view of electric signatures associated with sedimentary basins, cratonic margins, continental magmatism, and metasomatic processes. We compare variations in electrical conductivity and seismic velocities and explore correlations with critical mineral deposits, surface heat flow, and major tectonic blocks. MECMUS facilitates a wide range of applications from mineral and geothermal resource studies to a more accurate modeling of space weather hazards.