Detection and Characterization of Karst Structures Based on Spectral Attributes of Seismic Data

A major hazard in Qatar is the presence of karst, which is ubiquitous throughout the country including depressions, sinkholes, and caves. Causes for the development of karst include faulting and fracturing where fluids find pathways through limestone and dissolve the host rock to form caverns. Of particular concern are the collapse of such caverns in rapidly growing metropolitan areas that expand in heretofore unexplored regions. Because Qatar has seen a recent boom in construction, including the planning and development of complete new metropolitan sub-sections, the development areas need to be investigated for the presence of karst to determine their suitability for the planned project. In this paper, we present the results of a study to demonstrate the use of seismic spectral analysis techniques to detect the presence of a karst analog in form of a vertical water-collection shaft located on the campus of Qatar University, Doha, Qatar. We also present the results of this technique to characterize the ov...