Electrical resistivity tomographic detection of the hidden Thakek fault, Northeast Thailand

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe Khorat plateau covers most of northeast Thailand along with parts of southern Laos. Recent earthquake hazard assessment and other studies of the regional Thakek fault have rarely appeared in publications and reports. The Thakek fault zone in the Laos region includes three main principal fault planes, but it rapidly fades out when the fault passes through Thailand. A geophysical hidden fault study in the Khorat plateau is herein performed in Bung Kan and Nakhon Phanom provinces, Thailand, where the surface expression is difficult to document through conventional geological surveys. Some fault traces have been identified by satellite image interpretation and digital elevation model analysis. Geological field investigation and electrical resistivity tomography surveys were carried out in order to determine an optimal site for trenching. The electrical resistivity tomography results show zones of high and low resistivity interpreted as coarse sediment layers and mudstone, respectively. The maximum vertical fault offset occurring along the fault trace interpreted from the three‐dimensional electrical resistivity tomographic slices is 40 ± 5 m. Based on the electrical resistivity tomography results, a trench was excavated to directly investigate patterns of faulting and deformation. Based on structural geological observations at the trench wall, indications of faulting have been tentatively identified. In particular, faulting appears to have displaced mudstone over Quaternary sediments with vertical offsets >3.5 m cutting the youngest unit. The result has implications for seismic hazard assessment in northeast Thailand.