Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

<p>Hyperspectral imaging (or HSI) has been applied successfully in a wide range of rock engineering including: i) rock mass characterisation in quarries and underground excavations (in the latter case requiring artificial sources such as halogen lamps); ii) mapping alteration and weathering in open pit slopes, outcrops and drill cores; iii) defining faults, shear zones, and fracture systems; iv) hydrothermal alteration associated with geothermal sources.&nbsp;<span style=""font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.5em;"">Terrestrial HSI truly becomes a powerful tool for geotechnical engineering and geology when used in conjunction with our existing 3D imaging instrumentation, notably a long distance full waveform laser scanner (LiDAR), digital photogrammetry and differential GPS systems. This proposal is thus for the acquisition of a state-of-the-art HSI system, which when&nbsp;integrated with our 3D systems, will allow us to build comprehensive high-resolution (10s cm) 3D geological maps of inaccessible slopes and outcrops at distances up to 4 km.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style=""font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.5em;""></span><span style=""font-size: 12.8px; line-height: 1.5em;"">This multisystem approach is directly applicable to a wide range of engineering geological mapping projects and will be used in the delineation of areas of weathering and alteration that can be indicative of reductions in rock strength, a key parameter in our understanding of the causes of slope instability. For example, our research investigating the failure surface of the 2010 Mt. Meager (BC) landslide suggests that hydrothermal alteration on this surface may have been an important factor. Furthermore, empirical studies of open pit slope failures suggest that rock mass alteration is an important factor in debris runout extent. Mineralogical changes through space can also shed light on the physicochemical parameters and emplacement regimes of volcanological (lava and pyroclastic flows) and sedimentary (e.g., marine vs deltaic) deposits as well as the evolution of ore deposits. &nbsp;</span></p> <p>The requested Hyperspectral imaging system will thus be used in a multi-platform remote sensing approach to address a broad range of topics with specific reference to Canadian geohazards and resource geotechnics.&nbsp;Integration of these remote sensing datasets into state-of-the-art geomechanical and geoscience software will create exciting new research opportunities while enabling state-of-the-art training for a large cohort of engineering and geoscience HQP.&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>