Quantification of fold curvature and fracturing using terrestrial laser scanning
Terrestrial laser scanning is used to capture the geometry of three single folded bedding surfaces. The resulting light detection and ranging (LIDAR) point clouds are filtered and smoothed to enable meshing and calculation of principal curvatures. Fracture traces, picked from the LIDAR data, are used to calculate fracture densities. The rich data sets produced by…
Read MoreFault roughness evolution at seismogenic depths
Fault surface roughness is a principal factor influencing fault mechanics, and particularly seismic rupture initiation, propagation, and arrest. In a complex feedback, roughness at a certain stage (i.e. at a certain accumulated net slip) is also a result of surface refinement processes that involve different kinds of generalized wear mechanisms. Here we investigate the roughness…
Read MoreFracture Network Characteristics and Velocity Structure of a Seismic Fault Zone
Fault zone structure over a wide range of scales strongly influences earthquake mechanics. In this work we quantify the hierarchical structure, fracture network characteristics, and velocity structure of the seismic Gole Larghe Fault Zone (GLFZ) in the Italian Alps using a range of digital fieldwork techniques and experimental facilities. The GLFZ is c.500m thick and…
Read More3D structural and stratigraphical models from laser scan outcrop datasets
Rapidly developing methods of digital acquisition, visualization and analysis allow highly detailed outcrop models to be constructed, and used as analogues to provide quantitative information about structural and sedimentological architectures from reservoir to sub-seismic scales of observation. Terrestrial laser-scanning (lidar) and high precision GPS are key survey technologies for data acquisition. 3D visualization facilities are…
Read MoreQuantitative characterization of fracture networks using terrestrial lidar data, an example from high porosity sandstones at Appleby
Quantifying spatial variations in fracture orientations and fracture density with respect to position in a rock unit is an important part of the complete description of a 3D fracture network. We interpret terrestrial lidar data obtained from an outcrop of fractured Permo-Triassic aeolian red sandstone in the Vale of Eden half graben at George Gill,…
Read MoreThe tectono-geomorphic features of Apennine fault scarps mapped using combined ground penetrating radar and terrestrial laser scanning
Greater knowledge of the geomorphological setting of faults and consequently, more accurate paleoseismological interpretations can provide the framework for more reliable assessments of the long term seismic hazards posed by normal faults in the Apennines. Using combined ground penetrating radar (GPR) and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) datasets we present a study of the tectono-geomorphic expression…
Read MoreFault roughness at seismogenic depths from LIDAR and photogrammetric analysis
Terrestrial Laser Scanning: Creating Virtual Outcrops for Geoscientists
Modern methods of digital data acquisition can record surface geology in unprecedented detail, and allow spatially precise, photo-realistic virtual copies of the outcrop to be constructed. Terrestrial laser scanning (LIDAR) and 3D visualisation of these Virtual Outcrop datasets helps to increase overall understanding of the sedimentary architecture and structural style of geological outcrops. Furthermore, virtual…
Read MoreCharacterising Fracture Systems on the Isle of Lewis: An Onshore Analogue for the Clair Field
The Clair oil field lies offshore from western Shetland and is estimated to contain over 4 billion bbl. The basement here is composed of Lewisian-like rocks that are overlain by a reservoir of Devonian-Carboniferous sandstones and conglomerates of the Clair Group. Reservoir performance indicates that fractured basement rocks play a significant role in the resource…
Read More3D Modeling of Fracture Density and Connectivity Within Faulted Chalk Reservoirs – A Case Study From Flamborough Head, UK
The anisotropic distribution of fracture density and connectivity in 3D across a fault zone can exert a strong control on fluid flow. However, fracture density and connectivity values are usually estimated quantitatively using 1D and 2D fracture datasets, which do not take into account the aspect ratio of the individual fractures. In this study LiDAR…
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