Application of electrical resistivity tomography to map lithological differences and subsurface structures (Eastern Sudetes, Czech Republic)

• ERT, VES and SR allow the recognition of weathered cover and subsurface structures.
• SR assigns boundaries between layers and ERT shows spatial diversification.
• Resistivity values define thickness of weathered layer and quartzite structure.
• XRD analysis gives small values of clay minerals and petrographical composition.

The aim of this study is to determine the subsurface lithological variability and thickness of each metamorphic rocks unit by means of geophysical methods, which were presented within the framework of SEDIBUD. Research was performed on the ridge and the steep eastern slope of the Orlik massif (1204 m) in the Hrubý Jesenik range of the Eastern Sudetes, the Czech Republic. To obtain a spatial image of a geological rock mass, the non-invasive and relatively rapid method of electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was used, which resulted in the creation of six profiles using the Dipole–Dipole and Wenner–Schlumberger arrays. As complementary methods, vertical electrical sounding (VES) and seismic refraction tomography were chosen. Fifteen measuring points along two profiles obtained by vertical electrical sounding allowed the determination of the following in the vertical section layers of different resistivity and thickness at direct points in contact primarily with Devonian quartzite rocks and weathered covers.In a series of field studies, a four-layered rock mass was examined in which the first layer is of fine-grained materials with medium- and large-size clasts, the second layer is quartzite, the third is gneiss and the fourth is phyllite. The five profiles measured by seismic refraction tomography made it possible to draw the boundary between the studied phyllites, gneisses and quartzites. In addition, geophysical surveys and the results of mineralogical composition analysis allowed us to determine the nature and thickness of the weathered layers present on the massif area, which, in the upper sections, are predominantly a clayey loam partially covered with blocks. The inclination of the slope is associated with an increase in the fraction of coarse material. The majority of the thickness of these layers is related to the local flattened surfaces and the presence of numerous streams, which contributed to the accumulation of the sediments that were also transported from the ridge area. This diversity indicates notably active slope processes during the Pleistocene. The results confirmed the usefulness of geophysical methods to identify the geological structure of rocks with highly variable lithology with faults and folding features.