New magnetotelluric (MT) data were collected in the Spremberg area (Brandeburg, eastern Germany) at 22 sites along 2 perpendicular profiles. All sites were equipped with five-component broad-band MT stations recording three magnetic field components and two horizontal electric field components. The main objective of the study was to assess the utility of MT techniques for mineral exploration at depth in sedimentary basins and for a region which is affected by strong electromagnetic noise from various sources. In particular, we aim to quantify the electrical conductivity distribution of the top 0.1–5 km of the Earth’s crust to determine electrically conductive zones and their possible correlation with sulfide mineralization. Interestingly, the MT data were recorded during a series of very powerful geomagnetic storms (Kp index 5-9). During the storms (from 10-13 May 2024), the quality of the derived MT transfer functions was generally much higher than for the geomagnetically quiet periods. This data publication (10.5880/GIPP-MT.202403.1) encompasses a detailed report in pdf format with a description of the project, information on the experimental setup, data collection, instrumentation used, recording configuration and data quality. The folder structure and content of the data repository are described in detail in Ritter et al. (2019). Time-series data are provided in EMERALD format (Ritter et al., 2015).

The Geophysical Instrument Pool Potsdam (GIPP) provides field instruments for (temporary) seismological studies (both controlled source and earthquake seismology) and for magnetotelluric (electromagnetic) experiments. The GIPP is operated by the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences. The instrument facility is open for academic use. Instrument applications are evaluated and ranked by an external steering board. See Haberland and Ritter (2016) and https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/gipp for more information.