Travel-time seismic tomography for the seismic stratigraphic interpretation of the crust around the San Rafael knickpoint at Coca River, Ecuador

This research aims to obtain tomographic images to interpret the seismic stratigraphic profile around the San Rafael (SR) knickpoint using seismic tomography. The SR waterfall on the Coca River sinkhole in February 2020 caused regressive soil erosion, suggesting that the knickpoint is highly unstable. Seismic tomography for the P-wave velocity model, utilizing data from 14 stations in the permanent Ecuadorian seismic network, produced vertical cross-sections at azimuths of 0°, 45°, 90°, and 80°. These sections reveal geological formations and their transition to volcanic deposits, while a horizontal cross-section illustrates the extent of the volcanic deposits. The tomographic images facilitated the identification and correlation of seismic stratigraphy with the area’s geological features. The most unstable materials for erosion lie from 0 km to 1.5 km with velocities of up to 3.5 km/s. The erosive process impacts the population and infrastructure settled on the banks of the Coca River with a high susceptibility to erosion in zone 1, with velocities of 3 km/s and a 10 km extension. The Coca Codo Sinclair Dam (CCSD) is located in zone 2, with velocities of 3.8 km/s extending up to 40 km with medium susceptibility to erosion.