Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science
Department
Geosciences
Advisor's Name
Dr. Dean Whitman
Advisor's Title
Committee Chair
Advisor's Name
Dr. Grenville Draper
Advisor's Title
Committee Member
Advisor's Name
Dr. Michael Gross
Advisor's Title
Committee Member
Keywords
Sinkhole, DEM, GIS
Date of Defense
7-27-2001
Abstract
Airborne LIDAR (Light Detecting and Ranging) is a relatively new technique that rapidly and accurately measures micro-topographic features. This study compares topography derived from LIDAR with subsurface karst structures mapped in 3-dimensions with ground penetrating radar (GPR). Over 500 km of LIDAR data were collected in 1995 by the NASA ATM instrument. The LIDAR data was processed and analyzed to identify closed depressions. A GPR survey was then conducted at a 200 by 600 m site to determine if the target features are associated with buried karst structures. The GPR survey resolved two major depressions in the top of a clay rich layer at ~10m depth. These features are interpreted as buried dolines and are associated spatially with subtle (< 1m) trough-like depressions in the topography resolved from the LIDAR data. This suggests that airborne LIDAR may be a useful tool for indirectly detecting subsurface features associated with sinkhole hazard.
Recommended Citation
Montane, Juana Maria, "Geophysical Analysis of a Central Florida Karst Terrain using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) Derived Surfaces" (2001). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 42.
http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/42