Detection of crustal inhomogeneity in the Nojima Fault zone using earth current noise

A resistivity survey method using artificial telluric noise was examined and applied to a field of a fault zone. The electric earth current was measured at 50 sites in the Nojima Fault zone, which is in the northwestern part of Awaji Island, southwestern Japan. The dominant component of the observed electric field is supposed to be leakage currents from DC electric railways running outside the island. Amplitude and polarization of the stray current were systematically investigated and were revealed to represent the subsurface electrical structure of the study area. Some features on the fault zone's electrical structure have been pointed out, including: (i) an electrical boundary that corresponds to a geological one between granite (resistive) and sediments (conductive); and (ii) a low resistivity spot on the surface rupture of the earthquake fault. The structure estimated in the present study is both qualitatively and quantitatively consistent with previous resistivity surveys done using other methods pursued in the same area. It shows the validity of the 'stray current method' as one that is easy and uses low-cost resistivity exploration tools in a region where the effect of artificial noise caused mainly by leakage currents from electrical railways cannot be ignored.