Optimizing ground penetrating radar (GPR) Imaging of Lava Tubes: TubeX results on full waveform imaging and exploration strategies
Abstract
The TubeX project aims to develop surface-based exploration strategies for planetary lava tubes, based on terrestrial analog data collected at Lava Beds National Monument, California. This presentation describes work in progress on optimizing GPR processing methods and GPR exploration strategies from LIDAR-calibrated GPR surveys. Traditional data processing sequences, including migration, yielded skewed subsurface images if due to the lack of a reliable subsurface velocity model (equivalent to electrical permittivity structure) is not accessible, which is the case in a) for our surface-based GPR exploration scenario. Full-waveform inversion (FWI) of the GPR data can improve the velocity models, but the method is computationally expensive. To address this imaging challenge, here we investigate the performance of FWI for resolving tubes from the collected GPR data. The optimized subsurface velocity model are is compared against in-tube LiDAR data in order to evaluate the performance of the method.
Given the limits of GPR resolution, we assess GPR exploration geometries for a survey beginning at a pit crater indicative of the presence of a lava tube. , considering the dData density and profile orientations are considered.- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2019
- Bibcode:
- 2019AGUFMNS43D0865E
- Keywords:
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- 0994 Instruments and techniques;
- EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS;
- 0999 General or miscellaneous;
- EXPLORATION GEOPHYSICS;
- 1835 Hydrogeophysics;
- HYDROLOGY