ABSTRACT: LIDAR imagery for landform identification and aggregate potential mapping in northeast British Columbia, Canada.

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Abstract

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) DEMs have proven to be an effective tool for mapping surficial features and aggregate potential in northeast British Columbia (BC), where an increase in oil and gas activity has created a high demand for construction aggregate. Northeast BC is characterized by low relief, and by subtle glacial landforms commonly masked by forest cover. For these reasons airphoto interpretation on its own is a somewhat ineffective aggregate exploration technique. The BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, in partnership with EnCana Corporation, began using high resolution LiDAR data to map aggregate potential for portions of NTS map areas 94 I and P. LiDAR DEMs with 10 m and 2 m horizontal resolution and vertical accuracies of up to 30 cm are being utilized. To date, these data have helped in the identification of glacial features and are responsible for numerous recent aggregate exploration successes. Some of these features are visible in lower resolution data sets such as airphotos and RADARSAT DEMs, while others are visible only in LiDAR DEMs. The latter is particularly true for low-relief features (i.e. 1 to 3 m high), which can be masked by vegetation in airphotos, and are often not resolved in RADARSAT DEMs. LiDAR DEMs have also proven to be a useful tool for more detailed aggregate potential mapping of glaciofluvial features that are identifiable but poorly defined in other data sets. The Komie Creek aggregate occurrence (interpreted as an esker complex) is one such example, where there is a sharp contrast in detail between RADARSAT DEMs, airphotos, and LiDAR DEMs. This esker complex is composed of a series of southeast trending ridges, 2 to 8 metres high, up to 150 metres wide and 700 metres long. LiDAR imagery clearly shows numerous discrete ridges, that are trucated by a south flowing creek. In this imagery changes in relief and breaks in slope are well defined. In airphotos, however, very few of the same ridges can be distinguished, and both northwest and southeast extent of the features, and relative relief are poorly defined as they are masked by vegetation. This poster presents a comparison of images from the above three data sets, using landforms interpreted as having a glaciofluvial origin (e.g. eskers, kames, and glaciofluvial terraces)

Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology