UAVS AND STRUCTURE-FROM-MOTION TECHNOLOGY: NEW TOOLS FOR THE MODERN FIELD GEOLOGIST

The increased availability of commercial UAS and the ease of data collection and processing, in combination with digital mapping methods, provide the basis for a new era of geologic mapping, where high resolution topography and remote sensed data can be readily acquired and quickly processed in the field to serve as the basis of both detail mapping as well as support to disciplines that span from stratigraphy, to structural geology, geophysics, geomorphology, etc.

We provide examples from two years of UAS survey, data collection, and analysis from both classic geologic locations (e.g., Sheep Mt, WY, and Borah Peak Fault, ID) and other localities in the Rockies that demonstrate the effectiveness of in-field collection and processing of remotely-sensed data and high-resolution topography derived using structure-from-motion technology in support of geologic mapping of bedrock structures, surficial geology and cyclostratigraphy. The resolution achieved through these methodologies is not only effective for small scale observations; it is also transferable to larger scales and informs on details that can be used to interpret both small scale features as well as regional structures. Cut off angles, low angle unconformities, and local variability in thickness of stratigraphy can all be easily observed and interpreted with minimal processing time.

Furthermore, the ability to create a dataset of repeated observations allow the creation of accurate time series analysis to explore the complete four-dimensional variability of surficial processes, such as mass wasting and hillslope processes, fluvial erosion and channel migration, and ecosystem response to disturbances.