A Method for Producing Photorealistic Digital Outcrop Models

Outcrop studies can be substantially improved by use of photorealistic digital outcrop models. A method is presented that has been tested for decametre to hectometre long outcrops. The models have accuracy and resolution around one decimeter and the models are conveniently scaled and oriented, allowing for comparison to geological data that were directly acquired in the field. The gear involved is lightweight and low cost when compared to LIDAR. The geologist can backpack this gear, decide acquisition on the flight, and finish the computer processing back in the base camp or in the office. The experiments have been carried in a series of Spanish outcrops that represent a variety of depositional settings: alluvial fan, fluvial fan, point bar deposits, fan-delta, and deepwater. The output models will be discussed in in terms of their quality by report to LIDAR data.