Characterizing large-scale glaciotectonic sediment deformation using electrical resistivity methods

Abstract

Large-scale sediment deformation structures formed by glaciotectonic processes have been identified south of Ludington, USA. Here, several apparent clay diapirs rise from below beach level to near the top of an approximately 60 m high bluff along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. Throughout the area, the surface topography and locations of springs indicate a complicated subsurface structure and a preferred pattern of groundwater drainage. Since public borehole information is sparse, it is not known whether the structures exposed in the bluff are true diapirs or ridges, and if the latter, what is their orientation. In this paper we present the results of field, laboratory, and modeling studies to characterize the inland extent and orientation of these deformation structures using galvanic-source electrical geophysical methods. We exploit the large electrical contrast between a sandy sedimentary layer and an underlying clayey silt sedimentary layer in which the deformation occurred. Constant-spread traverses and multi-electrode tomographic data demonstrate that at least one of the narrow structures extends a significant distance inland.