Abstract: To improve the interpretation effect of detecting water-rich area by whole-space transient electromagnetic method, we adopted finite element method to simulate the response forms and characteristics of the induced electromagnetic field under different electrical and geometric parameters of surrounding rock and water-rich area, and analyzed the measured data in field. The study results showed that: larger difference of electrical properties between surrounding rock and water-rich area, better conductivity and bigger volume of water-rich area, closer distance and smaller normal angle of coil and the abnormal body, as well as the similar spatial tri-axial size, are beneficial to the expression of anomalous response signals.