Radar de Penetração no Solo (GPR) aplicado ao estudo de estruturas tectônicas neógenas na Bacia Potiguar – NE do Brasil

Abstract

The deformation of sedimentary deposits can be detected by the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) method, although examples in the literature about the use of GPR for mapping deformation structures in Neogene deposits (late Terciary and Quaternary), are rare. In Brazil, a few works have applied highresolution GPR investigations to identify Neogene tectonic structures in coastal sedimentary units. Tectonic studies of the Cenozoic rocks from the Potiguar Basin are based solely on seismic mapping, which does not provide the necessary resolution for identifying small-scale (centimetric and metric) faults. The present work aims to investigate the geometry of Neogene faults at two sites in the Potiguar Basin, through the combination of geologic, structural, and GPR data. The study area is located near the towns of João Câmara and Afonso Bezerra, state of Rio Grande do Norte, where the negative flower and horst structures were identified, respectively. The study provided insight into the geometry of brittle structures in sub-surfaces. The GPR data revealed excellent results for mapping internal geometries of Neogene deposits in the Potiguar Basin.