Dryland salinity occurs extensively throughout the Spicers Creek Catchment in central west New South Wales, Australia. The extent of dryland salinity in the Spicers Creek Catchment has severely altered the landscape, having major environmental implication. Large area of the catchments has experienced soil erosion resulting from the saline groundwater in the surface soil causing the destruction of clay and soil structure. The objective of this study was to use seismic refraction methods to map in detail a shear zone, which was associated with an area of major dryland salination. In particular, both the width of shear zone and the rock fabric within it were to be mapped with two both compressional (P) and shear (S) waves using a three-dimensional (3D) array of three- component (3C) receivers. The seismic data was recorded across a shear zone which is associated with salination in the Spicers Creek Catchment using the Australian National Seismic Imaging Resources (ANSIR) 360-trace system. Three-component (3C) geophones were used to record shear waves as well as compressional wave. An IVI minivibrator T-15000 was used as the main source of energy for the seismic survey. The results of the three-dimensional three-component seismic refraction surveys at the Spicers Creek Catchment show that the shear zone exhibit the seismic geophysical anomaly of a shear zone, existing as a narrow region with low seismic velocities and increased depth of weathering. A detailed analysis of the refractor seismic velocities and amplitude show a number of linear features parallel to and cross-cutting the shear zone. Linear features cut the shear zones at each site. They have been interpreted as a series of recent faults which act as discharge zone bringing saline groundwater to the surface.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/187915 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Nikrouz, Ramin, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, UNSW |
| Publisher | Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | Copyright Ramin Nikrouz, http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/copyright |
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