Abstract
This work presents a 1:10,000 geomorphological mapping of an area in southeastern Brazil, based on morphometric analysis of Digital Elevation Models (DEMs), while classical methods focus on photo interpretation. Data derived from the DEM include elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, vertical and horizontal curvatures, amplitude, elongation and wavelength of landforms. These parameters were used along with slope shape and drainage patterns to classify the landforms according to the Land Systems method, in which portions of the landscape that presents similar terrains attributes are grouped from regional (low detail) to local (high detail) scales, respectively, Land Systems, Land Units and Land Elements. The São Paulo State geomorphological map at 1:1,000,000 scale is considered the best reference source, and was compared with the results obtained in this project. Two Land Systems, four Land Units and twelve Land Elements were identified in the study area. In this area, karst terrains are common and easily identified due their characteristics drainage patterns, amplitude and slope gradient. Karst terrain boundaries defined in this study do overlap with those defined in the state map, however the morphometric analysis allowed a better description of the terrain attributes used to define them. The terrain attributes derived automatically from the DEM enabled an accurate geomorphological classification of the study area. The methodology presented in this paper is considered effective for mapping landforms at a detailed scale and can be employed in regional scale mapping using coarser resolution DEMs.
Highlights
Technological development in the past decades allowed an exponential growth of computational resources in Earth Surface analysis and mapping, where airborne (i.e., Light Detection and Ranging(LiDAR), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)) and satellite-based topographic data support the URL: http://igc.usp.br
While terrain attributes derived from Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) enable an accurate characterization of the landscape at both regional and local scales, the occurrence of errors and artifacts due to data noise, pixel size, reprojection, interpolation method and others, still pose a substantial problem (Garbrecht and Martz, 1994; Hengl, 2006; Raaflaub and Collins, 2006; Grohmann and Steiner, 2008; Hebeler and Purves, 2009), which must be addressed before any analysis
The input data for morphometric analysis and morphological mapping consisted of a DEM with a 10 m spatial resolution, generated by the interpolation of contour lines and height points digitized from a 1:10.000 topographic map
Summary
Technological development in the past decades allowed an exponential growth of computational resources in Earth Surface analysis and mapping, where airborne (i.e., Light Detection and Ranging(LiDAR), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)) and satellite-based topographic data support the URL: http://igc.usp.br Topographic data remains the primary source of information for many Earth Science studies such as geomorphology and landscape development (Franklin, 1987; Pike, 1995; Evans, 1998; Schmidt and Andrew, 2005; Erskine et al, 2007; Minar and Evans, 2008; Pike et al, 2009); risk assessment (Metternicht et al, 2005; Ghuffar et al, 2013; Wang et al, 2013); landslide identification and mapping (McKean and Roering, 2004; Glenn et al, 2006; Ardizzone et al, 2007; Eeckhaut et al, 2007; Booth et al, 2009; Sterzai et al, 2010; Jaboyedoff et al, 2012; Guzzetti et al, 2012); and morphotectonics (Hiruma and Riccomini, 1999; Modenesi-Gauttieri et al, 2002; Grohmann et al, 2007). The importance of reliable geomorphological mapping lie with its interaction with other environmental studies (Minar and Evans, 2008)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
