3D Geological Modeling and Visualization of Rock Masses Based on Google Earth: A Case Study

TL;DR

This paper presents a practical method for constructing 3D geological models of rock masses using Google Earth and Street View data, demonstrated through a case study at Haut-Barr, France.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to building 3D geological models by leveraging Google Earth and Street View, enabling interactive visualization of geological structures.

Findings

Successful creation of approximate 3D models of rock masses

Models effectively reflect basic geological structures

Method demonstrated with a real case study at Haut-Barr

Abstract

Google Earth (GE) has become a powerful tool for geological modeling and visualization. An interesting and useful feature of GE, Google Street View, can allow the GE users to view geological structure such as layers of rock masses at a field site. In this paper, we introduce a practical solution for building 3D geological models for rock masses based on the data acquired by use with GE. A real study case at Haut-Barr, France is presented to demonstrate our solution. We first locate the position of Haut-Barr in GE, and then determine the shape and scale of the rock masses in the study area, and thirdly acquire the layout of layers of rock masses in the Google Street View, and finally create the approximate 3D geological models by extruding and intersecting. The generated 3D geological models can simply reflect the basic structure of the rock masses at Haut-Barr, and can be used for visualizing the rock bodies interactively.