Passive and active remote sensing techniques used with satellite communication for earthquake studie

Slemmons, D. B.

Wallace, R. E.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

General Disclaimer 
One or more of the Following Statements may affect this Document 
 
 This document has been reproduced from the best copy furnished by the 
organizational source. It is being released in the interest of making available as 
much information as possible. 
 
 This document may contain data, which exceeds the sheet parameters. It was 
furnished in this condition by the organizational source and is the best copy 
available. 
 
 This document may contain tone-on-tone or color graphs, charts and/or pictures, 
which have been reproduced in black and white. 
 
 This document is paginated as submitted by the original source. 
 
 Portions of this document are not fully legible due to the historical nature of some 
of the material. However, it is the best reproduction available from the original 
submission. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Produced by the NASA Center for Aerospace Information (CASI) 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19700030994 2020-03-11T22:47:43+00:00Z
m
_. ^.
	 ivs	
_ Yja	
.`^n x£ aft$.#	 Y ^yy
	
.£-' 
^Ei!
	
'L . C t
	 'iL
ILRT Or
	
qP ^^ ^ :y	 F
°	 UNITED STATES
t	 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
.. l
`'-	 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Technical Letter
wasHiNG'r6N, D.C. 20242
	 NASA-41
L	 June 1966
Dr. Peter Ce Badgley
Chief, Natural Resources Program
Office of Space Science and Applications
Code SAR, NASA Headquarters
Washington,,D.C. 20546
Dear Peter:
Transmitted herewith are 3 copies of:
TECHNICAL LETTER NASA-41
POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF REMOTE-SENSING TECHNIQUES
AND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS FOR
EARTHQUAKE STUDIES*
by
Robert E. Wallace, U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California
David B. Slemmons, Mackay School of Mines,
University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
Sincerely yours,
William A. Fischer
Research Coordinator
Earth Orbital Program
*Work performed under NASA Contract No. R-09-020-015
UNITED STATES	 Technical Letter
NASA-41
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR	 June 1966
GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF REMOTE-SENSING TECHNIQUES
AND SATELLITE COMWNIQATIONS FOR
EARTHQUAKE STUDIES*
by
Robert E. Wallace, U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California
David B. Slemmons, Mackay School of Mines,
University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
These data are preliminary and should
not be quoted without permission
Prepared by the Geological Survey
for the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA)
*Work performed under NASA Contract No. R-09-020-015
UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
CEOLOGICAL SURVEY
4
POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF REMOTE-SENSING TECHNIQUES
AND SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS FOR
EARTHQUAKE STUDIES*
Robert E. Wallace, U.S. Geological Survey
Menlo Park, California
David B. Slemmons, Mackay School of Mines,
University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada
ABSTRACT	 / ^K
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has been
sponsoring research in the development and application of remote -sensing
techniques and in communication by satellite. Some of these techniques
may prove to be of value in earthquake studies, and are being tested for
this purpose by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Nevada.
A variety of remote - sensing techniques and instruments are under
development and appraisal, including both passive and active types.
They make use of energy ranging from radar and microwave wavelengths
through the visible part of the spectrum to ultraviolet and X-ray. Some
techniques depend upon spectral analysis of the rejiant energy, some
instruments produce imagery by scanning techniques, and a variety of
special cameras produce more nearly conventional photography.
*The paper was presented by Slemmons at the Second U.S.-
Japan Conference on Research Related to Earthquake
Prediction, June 8, 1966 and will be reproduced in the
syllabus of the conference.
I
Applications for earthquake studies can be divided into two main
types: 1) utilization of space vehicles for rapid and relatively
inexpensive telemetering of data from remote regions to central observa-
tories, and 2) use of remotely sensed data for geologic and geophysical
analysis of seismic regions.
Space vehicles may prove to be extremely useful for collecting
data from remote stations, for storing, and then for transmitting the
data to central stations. Although the total bits of data that can be
hat.dled with currently scheduled equipment is limited, this capability
will undoubtedly improve. Thus, although a seismogram would be difficult
to cope with at present, many simpler forms of data such as a sampling
of tiltmeter or strain-gauge readings, gravity or magnetic measurements,
or number of microearthquakes per unit of time might be readily handled.
Some remote-sensing techniques that are being appraised and that
may be useful in earthquake studies and prediction are listed below.
1. Radar imagery.--Side-looking radar imagery obtained from
aircraft or satellites can provide sidelight effects similar to the
lighting effects of morn:-,g or evening sunlight. Low, generally incon-
spicuous fault scarps are accentuated in such illumination; and radar
can obV in this effect night or day, through clouds or fog, and in any
orientation. The character of the radar return--whether polarized or
nonpolarized--also may accentuate faults, fracture patterns, or other
structural fabrics of the terrain.
2. Infrared imagery and spectrometry.--Infrared imagery can show
the surface temperatures of the ground, and thus the thermal properties
of the rock and soil units can be studied and compared. The thermal
-2-
=1
K
inertia of these units is controlled by such factors as moisture content
and degree of compaction--properties that cannot be assessed as satis-
factorily, or at all, by visible light. Such thermal activity as hot
springs along faults or heat related to volcanic activity can be very
effectively studied by infrared. Since certain gross chemical differences
can be distinguished by infrared spectroscopy, the technique might be
used for delineating major rock masses of different compositions.
3. Photography.--Color and certain special types of black-and-white
photography have been used very little in geologic analysis, but have
great potential. In addition, photography from high altitudes or from
space holds some unique possibilities. For example, synoptic coverage
of large areas can be obtained rapidly, and under nearly uniform lighting
conditions. Parallax resulting from topographic relief is minimized, so
that, in effect, an orthophotograph is obtained, The entire world--
areas that are accessible as well as inaccessible--can be covered with
photographs of uniform quality. Furthermore, photography from satellite
altitudes is less effected by turbulence in the atmosphere. Regional
geologic analysis of such large structures as the San Andreas fault
system or the Basin and Range province could be greatly assisted by such
synoptic photography.
4. Multispectral techniques.--Photography which makes use of a
narrow band or the combination of two or more selected bands in the
spectrum can give marked enhancement over normal panchromatic photography.
Therefore multispectral methods, which need not be confined to the
visible wavelengths, can possibly be used to discriminate rock and soil
units both in local studies and in regional tectonic or lithologic
analyses.
-3-
5. Synoptic coverage.--Use of any of the remote-sensing techniques
either in a high-altitude aircraft or satellite makes possible =,Ad
synoptic coverage. Thus large areas can be covered in a single view;
rapid sequences of views around the earth can be obtained; the number of
separate image models can be reduced; and ultimately costs can be lowered.
-4-


Possible application of remote-sensing techniques and satellite communications for earthquake studies

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

NASA Technical Reports Server