Abstract
The application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) is becoming increasingly common in geological mapping. The acquired UAV images help in building a 3D virtual outcrop model after processing. In particular, the use of UAV provides a rapid and low-cost method for estimating planar discontinuity orientation in inaccessible outcrops. Several open-access software packages are now available for automatic extraction of the orientation of planar structures using point cloud data generated from UAV images. This study demonstrates software applications for extracting geological discontinuities and compares the results with direct field observations in the outer part of the Garhwal Lesser Himalaya. Two types of geological surfaces, namely, the bedding surface and the fracture surface, are tested by processing point clouds in the discontinuity set extractor (DSE) and the FACETS (cloudcompare) software. Both the DSE and the FACETS require the availability of distinct 3-D exposures and clean point clouds on virtual Outcrop models. Results from both the software deviate from the field observations by a few degrees. Between the two software, FACETS gives relatively more accurate results than the DSE. The compass tool is an additional advantage in the cloudcompare (FACETS). These techniques have been successfully demonstrated in rock mass characterization and slope stability studies. In general, the semi-automatic methods are useful in studies requiring the orientation of a well-exposed single surface or several surfaces in a small area that is inaccessible. These techniques, however, become time-intensive due to noisy data in geologically complex areas where the rocks are cut by multiple sets of discontinuities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
AGISOFT PhotoScan L L C 2014 AGISOFT PhotoScan, PhotoScan User Manual Professional Edition, Version 1.1, https://www.agisoft.com/.
Akara M E M, Reeves D M and Parashar R 2020 Enhancing fracture-network characterization and discrete-fracture-network simulation with high-resolution surveys using unmanned aerial vehicles; Hydrogeol. J. 28 2285–2302.
Assali P, Grussenmeyer P, Villemin T, Pollet N and Viguier F 2016 Solid images for geostructural mapping and key block modeling of rock discontinuities; Comput. Geosci. 89 21–31.
Auden J B 1934 Geology of Krol Belt; Rec. Geol. Surv. India 64 357–454.
Bhargava O N 1972 A reinterpretation of Krol Belt; Him. Geol. 2 47–81.
Bieniawski Z 1989 Engineering rock mass classifications: A complete manual for engineers and geologists in mining, civil, and petroleum engineering; John Wiley & Sons, New York, 250p.
Cao T, Xiao A, Wu L and Mao L 2017 Automatic fracture detection based on Terrestrial Laser Scanning data: A new method and case study; Comput. Geosci. 106 209–216.
Casini G, Hunt D W, Monsen E and Bounaim A 2016 Fracture characterization and modeling from virtual outcrops; Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 100 41–61.
Cawood A J, Bond C E, Howell J A, Butler R W H and Totake Y 2017 LiDAR, UAV or compass-clinometer? Accuracy, coverage and the effects on structural models; J. Struct. Geol. 98 67–82.
Chen J, Zhu H and Li X 2016 Automatic extraction of discontinuity orientation from rock mass surface 3D point cloud; Comput. Geosci. 95 18–31.
Chen N, Kemeny J, Jiang Q and Pan Z 2017 Automatic extraction of blocks from 3D point clouds of fractured rock; Comput. Geosci. 109 149–161.
Daghigh H, Tannant D, Daghigh D D, Lichti D D and Lindenbergh R 2022 A critical review of discontinuity plane extraction from 3D point cloud data of rock mass surfaces; Comput. Geosci. 169 105241.
Dewez T J B, Girardeau-Montaut D, Allanic C and Rohmer J 2016 FACETS: A plugin to extract geological planes from unstructured 3D point clouds; Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote. Sens. Spat. Inf. Sci., pp. 799–804.
Ghosh T, Chattopadhyay A, Verma G, Srivastava S, Sarkar A and Bhattacharjee D 2023 Digital mapping and GIS-based spatial analyses of the Pur-Banera Group in Rajasthan, India, with special reference to the structural control on base-metal mineralization; J. Struct. Geol. 166 104762.
Giordan D, Adams M S, Aicardi I, Alicandro M, Allasia P, Baldo M, De Berardinis P, Dominici D, Godone D, Hobbs P, Lechner V, Niedzielski T, Piras M, Rotilio M, Salvini R, Segor V, Sotier B and Troilo F 2020 The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for engineering geology applications; Bull. Eng. Geol. Environ. 79 3437–3481.
Guo J, Liu S, Zhang P, Wu L, Zhou W and Yu Y 2017 Towards semi-automatic rock mass discontinuity orientation and set analysis from 3D point clouds; Comput. Geosci. 103 164–172.
Herrero M J, Pérez-Fortes A P, Escavy J I, Insua-Arévalo J M, De la Horra R, López-Acevedo F and Trigos L 2022 3D model generated from UAV photogrammetry and semi-automated rock mass characterization; Comput. Geosci. 163.
Hudson J 2001 Engineering rock mechanics. Part 2: Illustrative worked examples; MPG Books Ltd., Cornwall.
Kong D, Saroglou C, Wu F, Sha P and Li B 2021 Development and application of UAV-SfM photogrammetry for quantitative characterization of rock mass discontinuities; Int. J. Rock Mech. Min. Sci. 141.
Kumar G 2005 Geology of Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal; Geological Society of India, Bangalore, 383p.
Lapponi F, Casini G, Sharp I, Blendinger W, Fernández N, Romaire I and Hunt D 2011 From outcrop to 3D modelling: A case study of a dolomitized carbonate reservoir, Zagros Mountains; Petrol. Geosci. 17 283–307.
Passchier C W and Exner U 2010 Digital mapping in structural geology – Examples from Namibia and Greece; J. Geol. Soc. India 75 32–42.
Rai V, Shukla R, Singh A and Yadav D 2021 Geology of the Krol Belt in the Mussoorie Synform and the Garhwal Synform (along the Ganga River between Rishikesh and Devprayag), Uttarakhand, India; J. Ind. Geol. Cong. 12 113–135.
Ravi Shanker Kumar G, Mathur V K and Joshi A 1993 Stratigraphy of Blaini, Infra Krol, Krol and Tal successions, Krol Belt, Lesser Himalaya; Ind. J. Petrol. Geol. 2 99–136.
Riquelme A J, Abellán A, Tomás R and Jaboyedoff M 2014 A new approach for semi-automatic rock mass joints recognition from 3D point clouds; Comput. Geosci. 68 38–52.
Valdiya K S 1980 Geology of Kumaun Lesser Himalaya; Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun.
Vasuki Y, Holden E J, Kovesi P and Micklethwaite S 2014 Semi-automatic mapping of geological structures using UAV-based photogrammetric data: An image analysis approach; Comput. Geosci. 69 22–32.
Viana C D, Endlein A, Campanha G A and Grohmann C H 2016 Algorithms for extraction of structural attitudes from 3D outcrop models; Comput. Geosci. 90 112–122.
Vöge M, Lato M J and Diederichs M S 2013 Automated rockmass discontinuity mapping from 3-dimensional surface data; Eng. Geol. 164 155–162.
Wang X, Zou L, Shen X, Ren Y and Qin Y 2017 A region-growing approach for automatic outcrop fracture extraction from a three-dimensional point cloud; Comput. Geosci. 99 100–106.
Wang S, Zhang Z, Wang C, Zhu C and Ren Y 2019 Multistep rocky slope stability analysis based on unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry; Environ. Earth Sci. 78 1–16.
Westoby M J, Brasington J, Glasser N F, Hambrey M J and Reynolds J M 2012 ‘Structure-from-Motion’ photogrammetry: A low-cost, effective tool for geoscience applications; Geomorphology 179 300–314.
Wu X, Wang F, Wang M, Zhang X, Wang Q and Zhang S 2021 A new method for automatic extraction and analysis of discontinuities based on TIN on rock mass surfaces; Remote Sens. 13915 2894.
Xiao S, Jiang G, Ye Q, Ouyang Q, Banerjee D, Singh B and Hughes N 2022 Systematic paleontology, acritarch biostratigraphy, and δ13C chemostratigraphy of the early Ediacaran Krol A Formation, Lesser Himalaya, northern India; J. Paleontol., http://zoobank.org/5289fdb2-0e49-4b3b-880f-f5b21acab371.
Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Prof. María Josefa Herrero Fernández, Universidad Completeness de Madrid, and Dr Jaspreet Singh Sidhu, IIT Roorkee, for the help with the software processing. Dr Sidhu and Dr Arun Ojha (NGRI, India) are thanked for their constructive reviews and suggestions. The CSIR-funded project supported this work, Grant 24/364/20/EMR-II, to D C Srivastava and Sandeep Bhatt. The software codes used in this study are freely available at GitHub-/:main repository and FACETS (plugin)-Wiki.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Bhagirathi Panigrahi made the UAV model, processed the point clouds by DSE and FACETS, collected field data for ground check, and helped in the preparation and revision of the manuscript. D C Srivastava guided fieldwork, wrote and revised the manuscript. Sonal Tiwari acquired UAV images. Amar Agarwal conceived the problem and helped in UAV image acquisition and writing. Bitihotri Rit collected structural data in the field. Syed Shahid Akhtar mapped the study area.
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by Somnath Dasgupta
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Panigrahi, B., Srivastava, D.C., Tiwari, S. et al. Application of semi-automated methods for extraction of geological surface orientations: A case study from the outer Garhwal Himalaya. J Earth Syst Sci 132, 171 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-023-02194-y
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-023-02194-y