Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
Abstracts with Programs - Geological Society of America
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SESSION NO. 39<br />
39-13 15:30 Zellmer, Henning<br />
GEOPARKS FOR REGULAR TOURISTS – “HOW MANY ROCKS WOULD YOU LIKE?”<br />
ZELLMER, Henning, Geopark Harz, Niedernh<strong>of</strong> 6, Königslutter 38154 Germany,<br />
hzell@web.de<br />
Geoparks are not geological parks. According to the definitions <strong>of</strong> the National, European<br />
and Global Geopark Network, Geoparks must indeed have significant geological features, but<br />
have to implement geographical, biological, archaeological, cultural and historical aspects <strong>of</strong><br />
the designation as a high priority, too. It is even the core <strong>of</strong> the Geopark idea, to link all these<br />
aspects together to a regional network. From a tourist’s point <strong>of</strong> view geological outcrops<br />
that are not spectacular cliffs, waterfalls, volcanoes or dinosaur sites are <strong>of</strong>ten ranking as<br />
particularly hard to place to the average customer. They seem to be at best suited to attract<br />
an inquisitive fringe group. But if these key components <strong>of</strong> the geological tradition would stay<br />
outside, the tourism <strong>of</strong>fers threaten to be random and pale. Here you need a well-prepared<br />
presentation and to attract a better infrastructure <strong>with</strong> integrated, various, uncomplicated and<br />
target group-oriented combination <strong>of</strong>fers <strong>of</strong> wide interest. Thus, geological or geodynamic<br />
contexts might sometimes be better sold through the ‘back door’. Often attractive entry points<br />
make it easier to present the formation and development <strong>of</strong> a landscape; they may be a golden<br />
thread through the Geopark area which allows the combination <strong>of</strong> individual insights in order<br />
to improve the understanding <strong>of</strong> the overall picture. In addition, any outcrop <strong>with</strong> an exciting<br />
story that needs no prior knowledge <strong>of</strong> the history is a proper tool for standard tourism. The<br />
presentation will show examples <strong>of</strong> 10 years practical Geopark experience.<br />
SESSION NO. 40, 11:00<br />
Wednesday, 7 September 2011<br />
T8D. State <strong>of</strong> the Art in <strong>Geological</strong> Mapping at<br />
Research Institutions, the Military, and <strong>Geological</strong><br />
Surveys<br />
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, A 015<br />
40-1 11:10 Asch, Kristine<br />
THE 1 : 2 500 000 INTERNATIONAL QUATERNARY MAP OF EUROPE– CHANGE FROM A<br />
PURE PAPER MAP TO A GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM<br />
ASCH, Kristine, Geozentrum Hannover, Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und<br />
Rohst<strong>of</strong>fe (BGR), Stilleweg 2, Hannover 30655 Germany, k.asch@bgr.de<br />
Already in 1932 at the 2nd Congress <strong>of</strong> the International Union for Quaternary Research<br />
(INQUA) held in St. Petersburg the idea was discussed to represent the main features <strong>of</strong> the<br />
European Quaternary for the whole <strong>of</strong> Europe. Since then, in cooperation <strong>with</strong> INQUA and<br />
in international scientific collaboration the BGR compiled the International Quaternay Map <strong>of</strong><br />
Europe (IQUAME2500). This paper map was published in 15 map sheets, the last <strong>of</strong> which<br />
was finished in 1995: sheet “Bern”. It is a traditional paper map. The Quaternary is an essential<br />
part <strong>of</strong> geology: it is the uppermost layer <strong>of</strong> the geological subsurface and thus is in strong<br />
demand: it provides Sand and Gravel deposits, groundwater resources, building ground for<br />
houses, streets, landfills, plants and many more. <strong>Geological</strong> maps have always provided for<br />
their users basic knowledge about the distribution <strong>of</strong> natural resources such as ore, water, oil or<br />
building stones. With the advent <strong>of</strong> Information Technology (IT), some factors that constrained<br />
our predecessors 50 -15 years ago no longer exist. Modern computing systems (databases,<br />
Geoinformation systems, the Internet) allow us to store, retrieve, combine and present far more<br />
information and knowledge about an area than we could ever display on a 2-dimensional piece<br />
<strong>of</strong> paper. Thus BGR started to rework and digitize the IQUAME2500 paper map in order to build<br />
a Quaternary <strong>Geological</strong> Information system (GIS) <strong>of</strong> Europe where Quaternary information<br />
can be retrieved, combined and used <strong>with</strong>out any political boundary problems across the<br />
entwire Europe The Quaternary information is planned to be made compatible <strong>with</strong> the already<br />
existing GIS <strong>of</strong> the 1: 5 Million International (pre-Quaternary) <strong>Geological</strong> map <strong>of</strong> Europe<br />
and Adjacent Areas (IGME 5000) so hat the information <strong>of</strong> both layers can be combined,<br />
selected and cross-referenced. It is planned to make the information conformal <strong>with</strong> the data<br />
specifications <strong>of</strong> the European INSPIRE Directive. This presentation presents the GIS-concept<br />
and discusses the challenge to create a conceptual model that combines a huge amount <strong>of</strong><br />
information derived from a paper map <strong>with</strong> an already existing system paper map and comply<br />
<strong>with</strong> actual legislation.<br />
40-2 11:25 Gerber, Rolf<br />
EXTRACTION OF GEOLOGICAL INFORMATION FOR THE BUNDESWEHR<br />
GEOINFORMATION SERVICE (BGIS) USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS<br />
GERBER, Rolf, Bundeswehr Geoinformation Office, Euskirchen 53879 Germany,<br />
RolfGerber@bundeswehr.org<br />
Today’s asymmetric warfare requires a wide variety <strong>of</strong> quality assured geo-information to<br />
provide advisory service for the armed forces. The demand to be deployable worldwide induces<br />
the need for worldwide available data. Due to the limitations <strong>of</strong> availability, especially on data<br />
needed on larger scales, it has become necessary to extract information from various remote<br />
sensing sources. Procedures <strong>of</strong> geological mapping therefore are based on the extraction <strong>of</strong><br />
data from globally available remote sensing products. The operational conditions in the mission<br />
areas forces personnel to use basic and approved tools.<br />
At the BGIO a handbook for the extraction <strong>of</strong> geological information was created in order to<br />
standardize information extraction procedures. The handbook <strong>of</strong>fers a toolbox <strong>of</strong> techniques<br />
to create data layers that contain physical-geological spatial information. Concepts to map<br />
geological features based upon different satellite imagery are presented for lithological units,<br />
geomorphological landforms and tectonic features. Additionally topographic, hydrological and<br />
vegetation features are mapped to complement the terrain attributes. Practicable methods<br />
focussing on multispectral images are exemplarily demonstrated depending on satellite image<br />
characteristics like spatial and radiometric resolution. Process charts have proven to be most<br />
advantageous to promote standardized procedures <strong>of</strong> information extraction.<br />
Approaches to use the obtained information for the evaluation <strong>of</strong> cross-country movement<br />
and mobility analyses in future projects are outlined herein. But the demand for state-<strong>of</strong>-theart<br />
methods to link data acquisition to algorithms answering user controlled queries is still<br />
unsatisfied. For this reason we look forward to implement elements like a digital mapping<br />
approach for our terrain analysis to satisfy customer demands.<br />
A60 FRAGILE EARTH: <strong>Geological</strong> Processes from Global to Local Scales<br />
40-3 11:40 Terman, Maurice J.<br />
U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TEAM PREPARED TERRAIN MAPS OF GERMANY AFTER<br />
WORLD WAR II<br />
TERMAN, Maurice J., 616 Poplar Drive, Falls Church, VA 22046, ric@terman.us<br />
From 1954 to 1964, eight <strong>America</strong>n scientists <strong>of</strong> the U.S. <strong>Geological</strong> Survey (USGS)<br />
Military Geology Branch and the U.S. Department <strong>of</strong> Agriculture Soil Conservation Service,<br />
together <strong>with</strong> several German scientists and some very competent enlisted personnel,<br />
constituted the USGS Team (Europe) based at the Engineer Intelligence Center <strong>of</strong> the<br />
Heidelberg headquarters <strong>of</strong> the U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR). Their principal mission<br />
was the preparation and publication <strong>of</strong> 131 maps entitled Cross-Country Movement at a<br />
1:100,000 scale for Germany, and <strong>of</strong> 24 maps entitled Military Engineering Geology at a<br />
scale <strong>of</strong> 1:250,000 for Western Germany. Each <strong>of</strong> these maps was a complete document<br />
unto itself. The Cross-Country Movement maps showed trafficability classes based on soil<br />
and slope, overprinted <strong>with</strong> obstacle effects <strong>of</strong> steep slopes, forest, and surface drainage; the<br />
text on the back <strong>of</strong> the map summarized climate and described terrain regions. The Military<br />
Engineering Geology maps showed units <strong>of</strong> natural materials <strong>with</strong> critical culture and surface<br />
drainage features at a l:250,000 scale. Summary maps at a 1:1,000,000 scale showing natural<br />
landforms, vegetation, and constructional aspects also were on the front <strong>of</strong> the sheet; complete<br />
descriptions and engineering evaluations were tabulated on the back <strong>of</strong> the sheet for both<br />
natural materials and military geographic subregions.<br />
40-4 11:55 Baran, Ramona<br />
THE USE OF HIGH-RESOLUTION 3-D LASER SCANNING TO UNRAVEL THE COMPLEX<br />
RUPTURE PATTERN OF A FLOWER STRUCTURE, REX HILLS, NEVADA, USA<br />
BARAN, Ramona1 , GUEST, Bernard2 , and FRIEDRICH, Anke M. 1 , (1) Department <strong>of</strong><br />
Earth and Environmental Sciences, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Luisenstr. 37,<br />
Munich, 80333, Germany, ramona.baran@iaag.geo.uni-muenchen.de, (2) Department<br />
<strong>of</strong> Geoscience, University <strong>of</strong> Calgary, 2500 University Drive Northwest, Calgary, AB T2N<br />
1N4, Canada<br />
Fault scarps are the most obvious surface expression <strong>of</strong> tectonic activity. Scarp-morphology<br />
studies constrain fault kinematics and scarp degradation by using geomorphic dating<br />
techniques. Data acquisition and interpretation is facilitated where scarps are exposed in<br />
areas <strong>of</strong> simple topography, but it is challenging in complex, dissected topography. The latter<br />
is commonly observed in flower structures which are important to evaluate the evolution and<br />
linking <strong>of</strong> strike-slip fault systems, and seem to be scale-independent. We combined field<br />
mapping and high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM) analysis to evaluate the structure<br />
and surface expression <strong>of</strong> one flank <strong>of</strong> the Rex Hills pressure ridge. Based on terrestrial laser<br />
scanning (Riegl LMS-Z420i) we derived a detailed DEM <strong>with</strong> cm-scale resolution and extracted<br />
high-resolution topographic cross-sections. This enabled us to identify fault scarps and<br />
determine their relative ages and geometry.<br />
The Rex Hills are located on the transpressional bend between the Pahrump and Amargosa<br />
segments <strong>of</strong> the dextral Stateline fault system, ~100 km NW <strong>of</strong> Las Vegas. The topography <strong>of</strong><br />
the southern Rex Hills slope is characterized by alternating valleys and ridges (~100 m long,<br />
~30-75 m wide). It exhibits three WNW-ESE trending fault scarps related to three reverse<br />
fault branches: the basal scarp is the most continuous, and it is composed <strong>of</strong> five segments;<br />
the upper two scarps are less continuous. Fault scarps exposed on ridge crests are more<br />
numerous (up to 5) and smaller (~5 m high); valleys <strong>of</strong>ten exhibit single large (>10 m high),<br />
smooth scarps. We analyzed the height and slope angle <strong>of</strong> the scarps to detect differences.<br />
Our results indicate that scarp shape is dominated by degradation processes yielding large<br />
scatter and overlap in scarp-height – slope-angle space, and that scarp degradation is stronger<br />
in the valleys. Hence, preservation potential <strong>of</strong> small, single scarps is greater on ridge crests.<br />
A comparison <strong>of</strong> our data <strong>with</strong> calibrated fault-scarp data yielded an age <strong>of</strong> ~2 ka, and we<br />
suggest that scarp shape mainly reflects degradation since the most recent surface rupture.<br />
Lastly, we propose that medium-range laser scanners <strong>with</strong> measurement distances <strong>of</strong> up to<br />
hundreds <strong>of</strong> m are best suited to efficiently analyze closely-spaced fault scarps across a broad<br />
range <strong>of</strong> spatial scales.<br />
40-5 12:10 Gwinner, Klaus<br />
VENT STRUCTURES ON THE SUMMIT AND FLANKS OF PAVONIS MONS: IMPLICATIONS<br />
FOR THE VOLCANIC EVOLUTION OF A MAJOR SHIELD VOLCANO ON MARS<br />
GWINNER, Klaus, Institute <strong>of</strong> Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center (DLR),<br />
Rutherfordstr. 2, Berlin, 12489, Germany, Klaus.Gwinner@dlr.de, HEAD, James W.,<br />
Department <strong>of</strong> <strong>Geological</strong> Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, and<br />
WILSON, Lionel, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster,<br />
LA1 4YQ, United Kingdom<br />
Small volcanic edifices in volcanic plains-type and rift-related settings <strong>of</strong> Mars were given much<br />
consideration recently, but only a few reports have addressed vent-related morphologies on<br />
the flanks and in the summit regions <strong>of</strong> the large Martian shields. Impact crater chronology has<br />
shown ages on the order <strong>of</strong> only few hundred million years for several <strong>of</strong> the shield calderas,<br />
despite the much higher ages obtained for the entire edifices. A key question for understanding<br />
the volcanic evolution concerns the age and structure <strong>of</strong> the flanks <strong>of</strong> the shields and their<br />
involvement in the volcanic activity through time.<br />
Based on impact crater chronology using CTX data, we can demonstrate that Pavonis<br />
Mons showed 3-4 periods <strong>of</strong> emplacement <strong>of</strong> large volumes <strong>of</strong> volcanic deposits during the<br />
last ~0.5 Gyr. These were associated <strong>with</strong> caldera formation, but also <strong>with</strong> the formation <strong>of</strong><br />
new rift apron deposits and <strong>with</strong> resurfacing <strong>of</strong> the flanks. We performed a systematic survey<br />
<strong>of</strong> vent structures and associated local deposits visible on the entire shield, and observe a<br />
great number <strong>of</strong> both on the flanks and inside the caldera complex. We have analyzed recently<br />
available high-resolution images (HRSC, CTX, HIRISE), as well as high-resolution DTMs<br />
derived from HRSC data and MOLA DTMs for morphometric characterization.<br />
We mapped more than 300 vent features, the majority <strong>of</strong> which are rimless depressions at<br />
the head <strong>of</strong> rille-like channels which formed most likely by erosion by lava. Also a number <strong>of</strong><br />
small shields characterized by a low crater/cone diameter ratio were formed by mainly effusive<br />
flank eruptions. Edifice heights and the diameters <strong>of</strong> craters and cones suggest a significant<br />
contribution <strong>of</strong> explosive eruptions for a second class <strong>of</strong> cone-shaped edifices. Lava ramparts<br />
and fissure vent associations are also observed. Deposition <strong>of</strong> volcanic material has produced<br />
a number <strong>of</strong> fan-shaped deposits <strong>with</strong> terrace-like morphology. Some <strong>of</strong> these are directly<br />
associated <strong>with</strong> flank vents, or the fan apex is linked to collapsed lava tubes or eroded lava<br />
channels. The flank fans show a similarly young age as the caldera and apron deposits. We<br />
suggest that the phases <strong>of</strong> high volcanic activity <strong>of</strong> Pavonis during the last ~0.5 Gyr were<br />
accompanied – in addition to the formation <strong>of</strong> rift aprons – by significant resurfacing due to<br />
effusive and explosive flank eruptions in other sectors.