Radon gas and geomorphic analysis as supportive tools for fault exploration: an example from the Aba South Fault basin, western Sichuan

Abstract

Clarifying the response relationship between soil radon gas anomalies and active fault tectonic geomorphology, and to explore a rapid prediction method for concealed fractures, soil radon gas measurements and unmanned aerial vehicle micro-geomorphic scanning were carried out in the basin section of the Aba South Fault in western Sichuan. The areas of radon gas anomalies and tectonic features formed by fracture activities are highly consistent with the distribution areas of hidden fractures. It is concluded that the combination of soil radon gas measurements and tectonic geomorphologic analysis can rapidly and accurately predict hidden fractures covered by Quaternary sediments.