Applications of Terrestrial Remote Sensing to Volcanic Rock Masses

Remote sensing methods are widely used in geological applications today. The physical properties of rock such as composition, texture and structure have previously been difficult to accurately quantify through remote sensing, however, new research in the fields of terrestrial LiDAR and infrared thermography has proven useful in the differentiation of lithology in sedimentary outcrops. This study focuses on the application of these methods, in conjunction with digital photogrammetry, to a number of volcanic rock masses in the Garibaldi Volcanic Belt (GVB) and Chilcotin Group (CG) of British Columbia. The GVB is a chain of volcanoes and related features extending through southwestern British Columbia and is the northern extension of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. The CG is an assemblage of Neogene-aged lavas covering nearly 36,500 km2 in central British Columbia. We integrate infrared chronothermography, which enables the characterization of temporal change in the thermal signature, laser waveform attributes such as amplitude and intensity, and digital photogrammetry, in order to distinguish between a range of rock types, lithologies and structures. This data is compared to laboratory experiments on field samples and ground-truth information collected by classical geological and geotechnical methods. Our research clearly shows that it is possible to remotely map, in 3D, otherwise inaccessible volcanic rock masses.