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This research aims to identify subsurface layers in the coastal area of Lhok Village, Lhoong, Aceh Besar Regency, Aceh. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was the primary method to extract information concerning concealed geological structures beneath the Earth's surface, including in coastal areas. GPR is a non-destructive geophysical technique that utilizes electromagnetic waves to explore and map subsurface layers. However, data collection involved field surveys utilizing GPR equipment directed at the ground's surface. During the survey, radar data was processed and analysed to pinpoint various subsurface level. The obtained information contributes to a deeper understanding of the region's geological characteristics and subsurface layers. Additionally, it aids in assessing geological risks, facilitating construction planning, and conserving natural resources in the area. Here, the outcomes of this study may also serve as a foundation for further research in geology and geophysics within the Aceh Coastal region.

Near-surface investigation has been carried out in Cot Abeuk, Weh Island, Indonesia. The area is part of the Seulimeum segment active fault, the northernmost branch of the Great Sumatran Fault. We measured two parallel electrical resistivity tomography profiles on the area with the direction perpendicular to the fault strike. The length of profile 1 and profile 2 are 111 m and 125 m, respectively, with 1 meter spacing between electrodes. Along the Profile 2, VLF-EM and Geomagnetic data were also acquired for complementary. The 2D inverted resistivity models show some minor fractures, which can be related to ruptures in the past. The structure was made by weathering rocks, clay and andesite. The models align with the analytic signal of total magnetic field anomalies as well as in-phase, Fraser filter and conductivity model derived from VLM-EM data. Following the successful models, this location is a potential candidate for paleo-seismological excavation.

Fluvial and coastal landforms are indicative of landscape river delta evolution over time and provide clues for understanding coastal adjustments to sea-level and fluvial dynamics fluctuations, tectonic displacements, and extreme waves. We have mapped the surface and sub-surface footprints of fluvial and coastal geomorphological features in the Aceh River delta, northern Sumatra, using imagery dataset, vertical facies logging and helicopter electromagnetic surveys. The result is a geomorphological map at the scale of 1:75.000 which outlines the main features of the deltaic plain, including rivers, tidal and buried channels, fluvial levees, beach ridges, swales, tidal flats and lagoons. We compare their spatial distribution to the geometry of buried sediment bodies, revealed by boreholes and resistivity maps. Buried channel belts and floodplain deposits document the former locations of the distributary channels of the Aceh River. Coastal-parallel beach ridges evidence 7–8 km of asymmetric delta progradation since the mid-Holocene sea-level high stand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia's Aceh Province is an earthquake-prone area due to its location on the Great Sumatran Fault (GSF). Currently, earthquake mitigation by the local government constantly refers to the regional seismic hazard maps. However, some sources of an earthquake in the province which had caused damage to buildings and loss of human life were not easily traced to the fault on the surface. Currently, the mapping activities related to the Sumatra fault lines are only focused on the mainland. In contrast, the continuity of the GSF fault in the area of the sea and surrounding islands is very rarely studied. Weh Island is inhabited by many communities and has become a popular tourism area. This study aims to map the regional and local fault structure on the Weh Island using the gravity model plus (GGMPlus) data. We used the GGMPlus data with a resolution of 200 m for detailed mapping of regional and local faults. The 3D inversion of the GGMPlus data was carried out to obtain density parameters using two models, namely Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and Occam optimization. The 3D inversion describes the presence of high-density rock blocks. A density value ranging between 2.72 - 2.96 gr/cm³ is interpreted as rocks with andesite-basaltic lava composition and lava or pyroclastic breccias resulting from local volcanic products as the rocks creating the island. Therefore, the zone interpreted as a local fault had a smaller density value (2.5 - 2.65 gr/cm³) than the surrounding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the northern part of Sumatra Island, Indonesia, the Great Sumatran Fault, which can cause an earthquake, was divided into two segments: the Aceh and Seulimeum. An effort to reduce the risk is mapping the fault area, especially in the region that does not clearly show the sign on the surface, e.g., in the Lamtamot area, Indonesia. Electrical resistivity is widely used to study shallow structures, but the method requires more time when applied in a large area. This research explores the potential of an extremely low frequency (very low frequency-electromagnetic; VLF-EM) method to investigate the shallow fault of the Seulimeum segment. Here, the VLF-EM is compared with other geophysical methods such as resistivity and magnetic methods. For comprehensive results, the geomorphic observation that was conducted covered outcrops of the fault and trenching sites in the geophysical study for validating the model. A similar pattern of the VLFEM and electrical resistivity data has been shown in a two-dimensional profile using data processing. The fault structure can be mapped at a distance of 20-24 m from the profile measurement, which is demonstrated by the low current density associated with the conductive zone from the VLF-EM, and low resistive anomaly in electrical resistivity. The fault can also be confirmed via magnetic intensity, which significantly increases at the same distance (20-25 m) of the VLF-EM and electrical resistivity. The geomorphic observation shows outcrops of fault activity, such as fault scarp, fractures, and faults, in the same direction as the Seulimeum segment, while scrap extends in the northwest direction up to ~20 m around the geophysical surveys. As revealed by the results, the VLF-EM method combined with other geophysical surveys and geomorphic observation can be used as a technique to image the fault that shows the shallow structure of the Seulimeum fault at 20-32 m along the profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sabang Municipality is located on Weh Island. As a maritime gateway to Indonesia, the island has been inaugurated as an Integrated Economic Development Zone by the Government. A complete infrastructure has been planned and built to support the manufacturing and tourism industries in the region. On the other hand, the island is potentially affected by geological hazards. Tectonically, the island is crossed by the Great Sumatran Fault (GSF), but few studies have shown the fault trace on the island. To ensure sustainable development, such potential geological hazards have to be incorporated into the Regional Spatial Plan (RSP) of the city. In this study, fault distribution on the island were mapped using shaded relief, slope, lineament extraction, orientation, and Fault Fracture Density (FFD) distribution extracted from the National Digital Elevation Model (DEMNAS) data. The map shows that the island is crossed by several fault lines, but the one located along the eastern with northwest-southeast direction is considered tectonically active. However, according to the RSP, the eastern Weh Island is the most developed area. The city center, airport, seaports, dam, sewerage treatment plan, landfills, and diesel power electricity generator for the city are situated along this fault line. It seems that the RSP of Sabang Municipality was issued without taking into account potential geological hazard maps in it. Some recommendations have been proposed to reduce the impact of losses in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to increase the geothermal exploration, the magnetotelluric (MT) method has been used to study the subsurface of the Seulawah Agam volcano, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Similar to all resistivity methods that are based on measuring the electric field on the surface, the MT commonly contains a static shift problem, which is caused by the heterogeneities near the surface and the different topography of the volcano. The static effect can be expressed as a vertical shift from the apparent resistivity curve. In this study, the apparent resistivity data from the 1D inversion of the Transient Electromagnetic (TEM) method were used to correct the static shift problem in the MT data. Both methods were acquired in the same site at ten stations along with a 12 km distance profile that crosses the Seulawah Agam volcano. The north-south profile of the volcano area appeared to host a geothermal system. The 1D inversion in the TEM data shows a low resistivity layer that indicated a cap rock with a thickness up to 1000 m. The area below the cap rock is estimated to be a reservoir zone while the 2D inversion of MT shows that the deep conductor below 2000 m could be the heat source for the Seulawah Agam geothermal system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia is a country with the largest geothermal reserves in the world, but exploration and utilization of geothermal energy are still low. As an effort in increasing exploration process, an integrated geophysical method to image the subsurface structure of the geothermal system has been done at Seulawah Agam Geothermal Field, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Very low frequency (VLF-R) method was used for shallow and magnetotellurics method for deep structures studies in the area. The magnetic method was used for a complementary of the electromagnetic methods. Magnetotelluric data were acquired at ten stations along a 30 km distance profile crossing the Seulawah Agam volcano in a north-south direction. The VLV-R and Magnetic stations were measured on the Ie Ju manifestation area only, located at the northern slope of the volcano. The magnetic and VLF-R methods have been able to investigate the local structure, while the regional structure of subsurface is described by the magnetotelluric method. 2D resistivity model of magnetotelluric data shows a conceptual model of the geothermal system based on resistivity variation. The model also reveals two local faults crossing the volcano in a northwest-southeast direction. Most of the geothermal manifestations in Seulawah Agam are controlled these faults. Application of VLF-R and magnetic methods on the Ie Ju manifestation area has shown clearly near surface structures of the area. The inverted models have strong agreement with a reduction to the pole of total magnetic field anomalies. Presence of the conductors in the resistivity models coincides with low total magnetic field anomalies. In addition, the total magnetic field anomalies map can be also used to locate the presence of geothermal manifestation with or without their appearance on the surface [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake ( M 9.2), the northwestern part of the Sumatran island has been a high seismicity region. To evaluate the seismic hazard along the Great Sumatran fault (GSF), we installed the Aceh GNSS network for the Sumatran fault system (AGNeSS) in March 2005. The AGNeSS observed co-seismic offsets due to the April 11, 2012 Indian Ocean earthquake ( M 8.6), which is the largest intraplate earthquake recorded in history. The largest offset at the AGNeSS site was approximately 14.9 cm. Two M 6.1 earthquakes occurred within AGNeSS in 2013, one on January 21 and the other on July 2. We estimated the fault parameters of the two events using a Markov chain Monte Carlo method. The estimated fault parameter of the first event was a right-lateral strike-slip where the strike was oriented in approximately the same direction as the surface trace of the GSF. The estimated peak value of the probability density function for the static stress drop was approximately 0.7 MPa. On the other hand, the co-seismic displacement fields of the second event from nearby GNSS sites clearly showed a left-lateral motion on a northeast-southwest trending fault plane and supported the contention that the July 2 event broke at the conjugate fault of the GSF. We also calculated the Coulomb failure function ΔCFF caused by the first event to evaluate its effect on the second event. The results showed that the July 2 event was likely brought 0.1 MPa closer to failure by the January 21 event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]