Identification of Bedrock Lithology using Fractal Dimensions of Drainage Networks extracted from Medium Resolution LiDAR Digital Terrain Models

Geologists know that drainage networks can exhibit different drainage patterns depending on the hydrogeological properties of the underlying materials. Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies and the increasing availability and resolution of digital elevation data have greatly facilitated the delineation, quantification, and study of drainage networks. This study investigates the possibility of inferring geological information of the underlying material from fractal and linear parameters describing drainage networks automatically extracted from 5-m-resolution LiDAR digital terrain model (DTM) data. According to the lithological information (scale 1:25,000), the study area is comprised of 30 homogeneous bedrock lithologies, the lithological map units (LMUs). These are mostly igneous and metamorphic rocks, but also include some sedimentary rocks. A statistical classification model of the LMUs by rock type has been proposed based on both the fractal dimension and drainage density of the overlying drainage networks. The classification model has been built using 16 LMUs, and it has correctly classified 13 of the 14 LMUs used for its validation. Results for the study area show that LMUs, with areas ranging from 177.83 ± 0.01 to 3.16 ± 0.01 km2, can be successfully classified by rock type using the fractal dimension and the drainage density of the drainage networks derived from medium resolution LiDAR DTM data with different flow support areas. These results imply that the information included in a 5-m-resolution LiDAR DTM and the appropriate techniques employed to manage it are the only inputs required to identify the underlying geological materials.