UAV-based digital image processing applied to the fossiliferous tanks prospection: insights at Guanambi region, northeast Brazil

This study reveals the use of high resolution images collected by small Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Digital Image Processing (DIP) from Structure from Motion (SfM) technique applied to the prospection and geometric characterization of fossil tanks in the Guanambi region, located at Bahia state, Brazil. Geologically, the region is located in the Guanambi Batolith, composed of granites, migmatites and orthognaisses. In the research region for example, there was the Lagoa das Abelhas fossiliferous tank, which was previously excavated and in which bone fragments of various pleistocene mammal taxa, such as those of the order Xenarthra, were found, represented by sloths, glyptodonts and armadillos. Considering that there are no records of an effective scientific method to identify these features, the main objective of this work is to map the distribution of fossiliferous tanks excavated as well as those with prospective potential, and to estimate the geometries that they present through the use of the high resolution DIP. The Phantom 4 Advanced equipped with RGB 1’’ CMOS effective 20 M sensor were the UAV model type and camera used for conducting the flight plan. The Pix4D Capture was the tablet/smartphone application used for conducting the flight operation and image collection in an area with ​​80 ha. After this step, the images were submitted as DIP routines using the SfM technique from the Agisoft Metashape software, version 1.5.1. The DIP is divided into stages like point cloud calculation, 3D models generation from mesh and texture procedures, digital elevation model (DEM) and orthomosaic. With the integration of images (DEM and orthomosaic) it was possible to identify and delineate a total of 14 targets through geometric information such as surface area, length, width, depth and internal format. The configuration in relation to soil type, vegetation and rock outcrops was the same around the Lagoa das Abelhas fossil tank. After that, the team came back to fieldwork and found fossil fragments of three out of fourteen targets. Thus, this study could show the potential of using UAV to cover large areas directed to the prospecting part of fossiliferous tanks with good flight autonomy, low cost and fast data analysis. Some of the 11 targets can be prospected because they have a high prospective potential due to their similarity to past prospects which became sites for future paleontological prospection.