DEM-based structural mapping: examples from the Holy Cross Mountains and the Outer Carpathians, Poland

Abstract

The study of the Earth’s surface using DEM-generated products combined with geological maps or satellite and aerial photographs provides information that is very useful for structural analysis. Applications of shaded-relief images, slope, openness, and aspect maps, 3D terrain views, profiling, contouring and semiautomatic intersections to selected parts of the Holy Cross Mountains and the Bieszczady Mountains are shown. The analysis led to the discovery of transverse faults in both fold and thrust belts, determination of the components of movement along these faults and the courses of the ¸ysogóry fault zone and the Dukla thrust fault. The application of these methods also enabled the display of changes in shape profiles of map-scale folds such as the Niewachlów anticline and the Baligród syncline.