Resistivity and Density Structure of Limboto Lake—Pentadio, Gorontalo, Indonesia Based on Magnetotelluric and Gravity Data

Abstract

Limboto Lake—Pentadio area is located in the province of Gorontalo on the northern arm of Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, which experienced a tectonic process from the Sula Platform collision in the mid-Miocene. This tectonic process led to the westward subduction of the early Miocene and post-collision rifting and uplifting of the arc and subduction along the North Sulawesi Trench during the Late Miocene to the Quaternary periods. The rifting process of the North Sulawesi arc resulted in the formation of the Gorontalo graben zone in the W–E direction. There are geothermal surface manifestations near Limboto Lake, such as hot spring complexes, with temperatures ranging from 74.8 °C to 78.5 °C. To understand the geological structure and prospective geothermal characteristics beneath the investigated area, we performed integrated magnetotelluric and gravity surveys. The preferred 3D resistivity model confirmed the presence of a fault system and a graben system that was filled with conductive bodies (~1–15 Ωm) corresponding to alluvium deposits. This result was in accordance with the 2D density model inferred from the gravity data, where a low-density value indicates the presence of a graben zone. The conceptual model of Limboto Lake—Pentadio was constructed using the information from the MT and gravity results, and from the geological study. The conceptual model illustrates the geothermal system in Limboto Lake—Pentadio, which is controlled by the fault system and the Gorontalo graben system.