Role of Magnetotellurics in Characterising the Hidden Faults: Insights from Western India
摘要
The delineation of hidden faults is significant for improved seismic hazard assessment, particularly in areas where seismicity is occurring along these concealed faults under thick sediment covers. The traditional geophysical surveys have shown limitations in areas covered by thick sediments/alluvium. The Magnetotelluric (MT) survey is a powerful passive source electromagnetic geophysical technique for subsurface imaging beneath such layers and the delineation of the concealed fault lines. The current study synthesizes the MT survey conducted in the epicentral area of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Kachchh, Little Rann of Kachchh, Cambay Basin, and the Saurashtra region of western India. In the Kachchh Basin of Gujarat, the Kachchh Mainland Fault and the Katrol Hill Fault were characterised using multiple parallel MT profiles, which also revealed the capacity of the traverse fault to impact the dip of the major fault. The MT survey in the epicentral area of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake characterised the North Wagad Fault and South Wagad Fault and revealed the presence of a fluid-saturated zone at the root of these faults. The North Kathiawar Fault was characterised for the first time using MT survey in the Little Rann of Kachchh, and the West Cambay and East Cambay Faults were characterised in the Cambay Basin using MT. Similarly, the Narmada-Son Fault is also demarcated in the south of the Cambay Basin. In Saurashtra region, various faults such as the Savarkundla Fault and the Rajula Fault are identified with the help of MT. In addition to this, the sediment thickness and the basement depth were also estimated using MT. The resistivity models generated with the MT surveys were found well correlated with the subsurface structural trends and the seismicity of the area, which highlights the utilization of the MT technique in delineating fluid-rich fractured zones and characterising the fault lines for enhancing the precision of seismic hazard and seismic risk assessment.