SCEC Award Number 12104 View PDF
Proposal Category Collaborative Proposal (Data Gathering and Products)
Proposal Title Centimeter-resolution fault topography and earthquake displacements from UAV photogrammetry
Investigator(s)
Name Organization
Edwin Nissen Colorado School of Mines Ramon Arrowsmith Arizona State University Srikanth Saripalli Arizona State University Patrick Williams San Diego State University
Other Participants One as-yet-unknown PhD student at Arizona State University.
SCEC Priorities 2a, 4c, 1d SCEC Groups SoSAFE, Geology, Geodesy
Report Due Date 03/15/2013 Date Report Submitted N/A
Project Abstract
 The objective was to develop a low-cost system for mapping fault zone topography at very high resolution using cameras carried by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and to trial this system at a variety of sites of geomorphic interest across southern California. We have been successful in developing such a tool, and have used it to generate sub-decimeter resolution digital topography at several keys sites along the southern San Andreas Fault and Landers earthquake rupture.
Intellectual Merit The research brings a new technology to the earthquake geologist's toolkit. By revealing subtle offsets generated in previous ground-rupturing earthquakes that could not be imaged even with existing LiDAR data, the project answers SCEC's call for improved slip-per-event data and longer paleoseismic histories (in line with the SoSAFE focus group) and will greatly increase the number of last-event slip inputs into the Uniform Californian Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF 3). The system could form a key component of an improved post-earthquake rapid response plan, widely discussed as a high priority at recent SCEC meetings.
Broader Impacts The project has involved several Masters students at ASU and is being written up by a graduate student at CSM. The high-resolution, 3-D representations of faulted landscapes generated by our system are also an excellent classroom resource. Once the datasets have been tidied up and properly documented, we will make them freely available for download from OpenTopography.
Exemplary Figure Figure 3: (Left) Merged ortho-photograph from part of one of our study sites near Thousand Palms, captured by a balloon flying at 60 m above ground level. The field of view is approximately 150 m. (Center) Artificially shaded 5 cm-resolution DEM derived from Structure from Motion. A small SW-facing fault scarp in an alluvial fan deposit can be seen just above the center of the image. (Right) 1 m-resolution “B4” airborne LiDAR DEM of the same area. Figure credits: Edwin Nissen and Kendra Johnson, Colorado School of Mines.
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