EXPLORATION OF UNDERWATER THREE-DIMENSIONAL TOPOGRAPHY AND ACTIVE FAULTS: A CASE STUDY OF QIONGHAI,XICHANG

The theories, techniques and methods for the exploration of active faults in the terrestrial domain are relatively mature, while such efforts in the water domain remain very few. In this study, the AAE shallow profiler was used to detect the underwater three-dimensional topography and active faults in the Qionghai area, Xichang for the first time. Based on the SKUA-GOCAD software platform and its DSI interpolation method, three-dimensional modeling of the exploration data was carried out. The survey profiles clearly reveal three different reflection interfaces, including the underwater interface, the interface between the silt layer and shallow sedimentary layer, and the bottom of the shallow sedimentary layer. The three-dimensional topography of the Qionghai area was mapped initially. Moreover, evidence of active faults was first found in several survey profiles from the reflection interface cutoff. This study also analyzed and discussed the working principle and characteristics of the AAE shallow profiler, including their parameters and various factors of exploration. The mapped three-dimensional topography and active faults in the Qionghai area of Xichang can provide a reference for research on the active tectonics underwater in the future.