This PhD thesis addresses various methodological aspects of the analysis of airborne Time Domain ElectroMagnetic (TDEM) surveys for a detailed interpretation in geological and hydrogeological purposes. This work was based on a survey conducted in the region of Courtenay (north-east of the Région Centre, France) characterized by a plateau of karstified chalk (karst des Trois Fontaines) covered by weathering clays and alluvium. First, a TDEM data filtering method using the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) was developed. The rigorous adaptation of this technique to TDEM data has successfully separated the noise, which was mapped, and the “geological signal”, greatly reducing the time required for processing. Furthermore, the method has proved to be effective to obtain quick preliminary geological information on the area. Then, a cross analysis between the resistivity model obtained by inverting the filtered data and the available boreholes was conducted. This has led to the improvement of the geological and hydrogeological knowledge of the area. An undulating feature, separating two chalk deposits, and a fault network were imaged in subsurface, providing a geological framework for the Trois Fontaines karst. Finally, a new 3D modelling method combining the information at boreholes and the slopes derived from the EM resistivity model yielded an accurate model of the top of the chalk. All of this work provides a solid framework for future geo-environmental studies using airborne TDEM data, even in anthropized area.
