International Geological Journal - Official Journal of the Carpathian-Balkan Geological Association

Physical properties of Hradište border fault (Turiec Basin, Western Carpathians, Slovakia) inferred by multidisciplinary geophysical approach

Published: Feb 2020

Pages: 3 - 13

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31577/GeolCarp.71.1.1

Authors: DAVID KUŠNIRÁK, HERMANN ZEYEN, MIROSLAV BIELIK, RENÉ PUTIŠKA, ANDREJ MOJZEŠ, BIBIANA BRIXOVÁ, ROMAN PAŠTEKA, IVAN DOSTÁL, PAVOL ZAHOREC, JURAJ PAPČO, JOZEF HÓK, MARIÁN BOŠANSKÝ, MARTIN KRAJŇÁK

Abstract: The Hradište border fault zone has played an important role in the development of the tectonic contact of the Cenozoic sediments of the Turiec Basin with the Malá Fatra Mountains crystalline basement. Seismic, geoelectric, radiometric, gravimetric, magnetometric and ground penetrating radar measurements were used to study the physical properties and determine the exact position and inclination of this fault zone down to a depth of up to 40 m. The Hradište border fault zone represents an almost vertical physical boundary characterized by decreasing seismic velocity (from 3.0 km.s−1 to 2.2 km.s−1) and decreasing electrical resistivity (500 to 150 Ω.m) when passing from the basement west of the fault to sediments to its east. It corresponds also to a compact segment of the lowest volume activity of radon 222Rn values in soil air (8 kBq.m−3 on average) and maximum horizontal gravity gradient (−0.0076 mGal.m−1). The discovery of this anomalous zone also helps us to distinguish two different anomalous blocks. The block west of the fault represents the orthogneisses of the Tatric crystalline complex belonging to the Malá Fatra Mountains. The eastern block is built-up by the Bystrička Member Pliocene sediments of the Turiec Basin. Our study serves as a case study for geophysical research on faults in different tectonic units of the Western Carpathians and other similar orogens.

Keywords: Near-surface geophysics, seismic tomography, electrical resistivity tomography, ground-penetrating radar, self-potential, radiometry, gravimetry, magnetometry, border fault, Turiec Basin, Western Carpathians

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Volume 71 no. 1 / February 2020