Reconstruction of Late Pleistocene-Holocene Deformation through Massive Data Collection at Krafla Rift (NE Iceland) Owing to Drone-Based Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry

Fabio Luca Bonali,Noemi Corti,Elena Russo,Alessandro Tibaldi,Luca Fallati

doi:10.3390/app10196759

Fabio Luca Bonali, Noemi Corti + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app10196759

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Abstract

In the present work, we demonstrate how drone surveys coupled with structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry can help to collect huge amounts of very detailed data even in rough terrains where logistics can affect classical field surveys. The area of study is located in the NW part of the Krafla Fissure Swarm (NE Iceland), a volcanotectonic rift composed of eruptive centres, extension fractures, and normal faults. The surveyed sector is characterized by the presence of a hyaloclastite ridge composed of deposits dated, on a stratigraphic basis, to the Weichselian High Glacial (29.1–12.1 ka BP), and a series of lava flows mostly dating back to 11–12 ka BP. The integration of remotely sensed surveys and field inspections enabled us to recognize that this segment of the Krafla rift is made of grabens arranged en-échelon with a left-stepping geometry. A major graben increases in width in correspondence of the hyaloclastite cone; we interpret this geometry as resulting from the mechanical contrast between the stiffer lava succession and the softer hyaloclastites, which favours the development of concentric faults. We also measured a total extension of 16.6 m and 11.2 m along the fractures affecting the lava units, and a total extension in the hyaloclastites of 29.3 m. This produces an extension rate of 1.4 mm/yr in the Holocene lavas and 1.7 ± 0.7 mm/yr in the Weichselian hyaloclastite deposits. The spreading direction we obtained for this area is N97.7° E, resulting from the av. of 568 opening direction values.

Highlights

Quantifying the rate of crustal extension and the spreading direction across a rift zone is of paramount importance for a series of practical applications, which span from the assessment of seismic hazard [1], to the evaluation of factors that can contribute to facilitating magma uprising and to the assessment of volcanic hazard [2]
We propose that the increase of graben width in correspondence of the hyaloclastite ridge could instead be related to the mechanical contact between the stiffer lava succession and the softer hyaloclastites: the rheological contrast between the two rock units leads to faults that tend to follow the outline of the contact, favouring concentric faults
We used drone surveys coupled with structure-from-motion photogrammetry, introducing two novelties to increase the efficiency of drone surveys, to analyse a remote area characterised by rough terrains in the NW part of the Krafla Fissure Swarm (KFS) (NE Iceland)

Summary

Introduction

Quantifying the rate of crustal extension and the spreading direction across a rift zone is of paramount importance for a series of practical applications, which span from the assessment of seismic hazard [1], to the evaluation of factors that can contribute to facilitating magma uprising and to the assessment of volcanic hazard [2]. Since it is difficult to obtain all these data with enough accuracy, usually rates of crustal extension are just estimated or approximated, and this is especially true in offshore rift zones such as oceanic ridges.

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