Geomorphological dating of pleistocene conglomerates in Central Slovenia based on spatial analyses of dolines using LiDAR and ground penetrating radar

Teja Čeru (Author), Ela Šegina (Author), Andrej Gosar (Author)

Abstract

On Kranjsko polje in central Slovenia, carbonate conglomerates have been dated to several Pleistocene glacial phases by relative dating based on the morphostratigrafic mapping and borehole data, and by paleomagnetic and $^{10}$Be analyses. To define how the age of conglomerates determines the geomorphological characteristics of karst surface features, morphometrical and distributive spatial analyses of dolines were performed on three test sites including old, middle, and young Pleistocene conglomerates. As dolines on conglomerates are covered by a thick soil cover and show a strong human influence, the ground penetrating radar (GPR) method was first applied to select dolines appropriate for further morphometrical and distributive analyses. A considerable modification of natural morphology was revealed for cultivated dolines, excluding this type of depression from spatial analyses. Input parameters for spatial analyses (doline rim and deepest point) were manually extracted from the 1 × 1 m grid digital elevation model (DEM) originating from the high-resolution LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) data. Basic geomorphological characteristics, namely circularity index, planar size, depth, and density index of dolines were calculated for each relative age of conglomerates, and common characteristics were determined from these data to establish a general surface typology for a particular conglomerate. The obtained surface typologies were spatially extrapolated to the wider conglomerate area in central Slovenia to test the existent geological dating. Spatial analyses generally confirmed previous dating, while in four areas the geomorphological characteristics of dolines did not correspond to the existing dating and require further revision and modification. Doline populations exhibit specific and common morphometrical and distributive characteristics on conglomerates of a particular age and can be a reliable and fast indicator for their dating.

Keywords

doline;karst;land cultivation;morphometrical analysis;distributive analysis;conglomerate;LiDAR;digital elevation model (DEM);ground penetrating radar (GPR);Kranjsko polje;

Data

Language:	English
Year of publishing:	2017
Typology:	1.01 - Original Scientific Article
Organization:	UL NTF - Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering
UDC:	528
COBISS:	1711199
ISSN:	2072-4292
Views:	289
Downloads:	90
Average score:	0 (0 votes)
Metadata:

Other data

Type (COBISS):	Article
Pages:	str. 1-23
Volume:	ǂVol. ǂ9
Issue:	ǂiss. ǂ12
Chronology:	2017
DOI:	10.3390/rs9121213
ID:	13500705