Detection of possible causes of earthquakes in central Sudan: An integrated GIS approach

Several big earthquakes have been recorded in the recent years. Nevertheless, there are no sufficient and reliable studies on earthquakes in Sudan. The main subjective of this study is to integrate the geophysical methods for the surface interpretations in addition to, Landsat images supported with gravity data and digital elevation model (DEM) to investigate the possible causes of earthquake that took place in the study area. Remote sensing is useful in mapping and analysing structural elements, especially in remote regions. Subsurface geophysical methods are among the best supplement to surface interpretations made from satellite images. In this paper, Landsat images supported by gravity data, geology and DEM were used to investigate the relationship between the lineaments and the earthquake events occurred in central Sudan. The integrated analysis has shown that the area is traversed by several systems of fractures and fault zones which are liable to rejuvenation from time to time. The earthquakes that occurred in low areas may be attributed to subsidence that occurred in the sedimentary basins while the few events that occurred out of the sedimentary basins may be attributed to movements along pre-existing faults due to reactivation. The events that are located at or near prominent lineaments are probably related to shear zones such as Keraf or CASZ or may be related to subsidence in rift basins or basin structures associated with pull a part process of tectonic activity. Strike-slip faults are difficult to detect from gravity data since there is no considerable down throw associated with such type of faults.