Characterization of active fault scarps from LiDAR data: a case study from Central Apennines (Italy)
A high-resolution digital elevation model (DEM, 1 ms spacing) derived from an airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) campaign was used in an attempt to characterize the structural and erosive elements of the geometry of the Pettino fault, a seismogenic normal fault in Central Apennines (Italy). Four 90- to 280 m-long fault scarp segments were selected and the surface between the base and the top of the scarps was analyzed through the statistical analysis of the following DEM-derived parameters: altitude, height of the fault scarp, and distance along strike, slope, and aspect. The results identify slopes of up to 40 degrees in faults lower reaches interpreted as fresh faces, 34 degrees up the faces. The Pettino fault maximum long-term slip rate (0.6-1.1 mm/yr) was estimated from the scarp heights, which are up to 12-19m in the selected four segments, and the age (ca. 18 ka) of the last glacial erosional phase in the area. The combined analysis of the DEM-derived parameters allows us to (a) define aspects of three-dimensional scarp geometry, (b) decipher its geomorphological significance, and (c) estimate the long-term slip rate.
fault scarp lidar morphology pettino fault (abruzzi)