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Aerial Remote Sensing of Carbonate Terranes in Shelby County, Alabama a
Author(s) -
Warren William M.,
Wielchowsky Charles C.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1973.tb02988.x
Subject(s) - sinkhole , terrane , geology , aerial photography , remote sensing , test site , subsidence , lineament , seismology , mining engineering , archaeology , tectonics , geomorphology , karst , geography , paleontology , structural basin
Remotely‐sensed data are being used by the Geological Survey of Alabama in the study of subsidence and collapse problems in several carbonate terranes. Active areas in Shelby County, Alabama, have been delineated by on‐the‐ground inspection and by use of airborne remote sensors. These active terranes present formidable problems to those who presently live in the area as well as to those who will be involved in the future development of this region; therefore, techniques must be found that can be used to predict subsidence and collapse. Study of a 70‐square‐mile test area in the county indicates that aerial infrared photography, thermography, and side‐looking airborne radar (SLAR) imagery can be used for (1) locating, inventorying, and monitoring sinkholes; (2) predicting potential collapses; (3) mapping fracture traces, lineaments, regional geologic structure, and alignment of sinkholes; and (4) assisting general project planning. Tremendous time and effort can be saved by using remote‐sensing techniques because large areas can be examined in a very short period of time.