Abstract: Silt dams are important soil and water conservation structures in the Loess Plateau, playing a crucial role in controlling soil erosion, mitigating floods, reducing disasters, storing water, and improving land in the Yan'an region. However, in recent years, seepage-related engineering geological problems have emerged in these dams, posing risks to local lives and property. This study applied geophysical exploration methods to investigate the seepage characteristics of six silt dams in Yan'an. High-density electrical resistivity surveys were conducted, and the resulting inversion data provided visualized resistivity imaging profiles for the six dams. The seepage pathways and features of the dams were summarized and analyzed. The results indicate that seepage in the area occurs mainly in two modes: bypass seepage and through-dam seepage. Both modes have induced adverse engineering geological phenomena of varying severity. Based on field surveys and digital elevation model(DEM)data, three key factors influencing seepage characteristics were identified: topography, water level, and dam properties. Hydrological calculations performed using the experimental data show a positive correlation between the Hydraulic Gradient across the dams and the probability of adverse engineering geological events. Specifically, when the Hydraulic Gradient exceeds 0.15,groundwater seepage is likely to cause engineering geological problems in the silt dam area. Furthermore, specific prevention and control recommendations and measures are proposed to address the identified issues.