The geomorphological and chronostratigraphical reconstruction of the Quaternary successions in the Apennine intramontane basins is a key factor in defining the seismogenic behavior of the fault systems that determined the opening and evolution of these basins. A new tool that can support the classical study techniques of Quaternary geology and active tectonics is the processing of 3D morphological data derived from photogrammetric reconstructions made by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) photographs acquisition and Post-Processing Kinematic analysis (PPK). Our study area is located in the Campo Imperatore basin, at the base of the Gran Sasso Massif, whose evolution over time is closely related to the activity of the homonymous active fault system (Galli et al., 2022). In particular, the photogrammetric survey focuses along the Fornaca polyphasic alluvial fan, which piled up during the late Middle Pleistocene-Upper Pleistocene, in the eastern part of the basin for a length of 3 km in a N-S direction. We acquired aerial photos using a DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone (L1/L2 RTK/PPK rover antenna) in PPK acquisition mode (e.g. in Cirillo et al., 2022), using an Emlid Reach RS2 system (GNSS/RTK L1, L2, L5) as a base station. To ensure the accuracy of the 3D model, we placed Ground Control Points (GCPs) whose positions were acquired using the Reach RS2 GNSS sensor. We carried out photogrammetric processing using the Agisoft Metashape Pro software, which resulted in a very accurate 3D model of the investigated fan. In addition, chronological constraints of the fan succession were also acquired thanks to new radiometric dating of paleosols embedded in the alluvial fan succession, besides previous data collected by Giraudi (2003, and references therein). The high-resolution topography obtained with the UAV enhanced our geomorphological analysis of the Fornaca polyphasic fan. This, complemented by chronological data on paleosols, has improved our knowledge of the repeated erosional and depositional phases of the alluvial fan, which were governed by the interaction between the Gran Sasso fault activity (Carraro & Giardino, 1992; Galli et al., 2022) and fluvioglacial phenomena occurred since Middle Pleistocene (Giraudi, 2003 and references therein).
UAV photogrammetry for geomorphological and stratigraphical application in active tectonics perspective: the case of the Fornaca fan system (central Italian Apennines)
Cirillo D.;Brozzetti F.;Bello S.;
2023-01-01
Abstract
The geomorphological and chronostratigraphical reconstruction of the Quaternary successions in the Apennine intramontane basins is a key factor in defining the seismogenic behavior of the fault systems that determined the opening and evolution of these basins. A new tool that can support the classical study techniques of Quaternary geology and active tectonics is the processing of 3D morphological data derived from photogrammetric reconstructions made by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) photographs acquisition and Post-Processing Kinematic analysis (PPK). Our study area is located in the Campo Imperatore basin, at the base of the Gran Sasso Massif, whose evolution over time is closely related to the activity of the homonymous active fault system (Galli et al., 2022). In particular, the photogrammetric survey focuses along the Fornaca polyphasic alluvial fan, which piled up during the late Middle Pleistocene-Upper Pleistocene, in the eastern part of the basin for a length of 3 km in a N-S direction. We acquired aerial photos using a DJI Phantom 4 RTK drone (L1/L2 RTK/PPK rover antenna) in PPK acquisition mode (e.g. in Cirillo et al., 2022), using an Emlid Reach RS2 system (GNSS/RTK L1, L2, L5) as a base station. To ensure the accuracy of the 3D model, we placed Ground Control Points (GCPs) whose positions were acquired using the Reach RS2 GNSS sensor. We carried out photogrammetric processing using the Agisoft Metashape Pro software, which resulted in a very accurate 3D model of the investigated fan. In addition, chronological constraints of the fan succession were also acquired thanks to new radiometric dating of paleosols embedded in the alluvial fan succession, besides previous data collected by Giraudi (2003, and references therein). The high-resolution topography obtained with the UAV enhanced our geomorphological analysis of the Fornaca polyphasic fan. This, complemented by chronological data on paleosols, has improved our knowledge of the repeated erosional and depositional phases of the alluvial fan, which were governed by the interaction between the Gran Sasso fault activity (Carraro & Giardino, 1992; Galli et al., 2022) and fluvioglacial phenomena occurred since Middle Pleistocene (Giraudi, 2003 and references therein).I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
