Geologic Mapping with UAS: New Perspectives in Geologic Surveying with the Support of Drones in Earth and Planetary Exploration.

Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) are becoming increasingly accessible to the masses.  Most small commercial drones are equipped with a camera system, and their operation is affordable by anyone.  Geological maps and models of Earth are commonly developed by a systematic investigation of the expressions of the geology outcropping on the topographic surface.

UAVs can move in three dimensions over the ground, offering the geologic surveyor a privileged point of view.

In November 2023, we organized a field campaign at the Rio Tinto area in southwestern Spain, which is considered a terrestrial analog of  Mars.  At Rio Tinto, we combined drone surveys with field investigations to understand the spatial relationship between rocks and biosignatures.  We used the drone in its basic functionalities: by acquiring overlapping images from the flying platform, we produced image mosaics and digital terrain models (DTMs) by applying Structure from Motion (SfM) algorithms.  Those images and digital terrain models become the basemaps of our large-scale geologic mapping of key portions of our study area.  Here, we will discuss the methods, the type and quality of data acquired, and the evolution of our knowledge of the problem during and after the campaign.  

Four years after the first flight on Mars by the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, we are now experimenting on Earth with new methods for geologic survey and what will be the future of space explorations, where robotic systems will support human surveys.