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2025 Vol. 31, No. 3
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CHEN Zebang, YUN Long, WANG Ju, TIAN Xiao. 2025. Fault damage zone and its unmanned aerial vehicle identification technology. Journal of Geomechanics, 31(3): 427-443. doi: 10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2024089
Citation: CHEN Zebang, YUN Long, WANG Ju, TIAN Xiao. 2025. Fault damage zone and its unmanned aerial vehicle identification technology. Journal of Geomechanics, 31(3): 427-443. doi: 10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2024089
shu

Fault damage zone and its unmanned aerial vehicle identification technology

  • 1.

    Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology, Beijing 100029, China

  • 2.

    CAEA Innovation Center for Geological Disposal of High-Level Radioactive Waste, Beijing 100029, China

  • 3.

    School of Engineering and Technology, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China

    • Fund Project: This research is financially supported by the Radioactive Waste Disposal Project of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (Grant No. FZ2101-6) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U2344215, 4171101029, and 41761144071)
More Information
Received Date:  18 August 2024
Revised Date:  10 April 2025
Accepted Date:  11 April 2025
Available Online:  11 April 2025
Publish Date:  28 June 2025
    Abstract
  • Objective

    In structural geology, faults and their damage zones are fundamental structural units that hold significant research and engineering value. They can be usde to reveal the evolution laws of regional structures and the evolution characteristics of fault structures, to indicate the migration paths of underground fluids, and to evaluate the stability of major engineering rock masses. However, traditional research methods often rely on manual recording to obtain information on fractures and surrounding joint structures, which suffer from inefficiency and susceptibility to limitations imposed by complex terrain. The emerging unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) aerial survey technology in recent years has effectively addresses the limitations of traditional methods. This method integrates data acquisition, terrain mapping, and dynamic monitoring. It generates high-resolution digital models and images that can more effectively reduce field workload, more intuitively display terrain features, and more conveniently extract structural information. This method can be applied more broadly to the field of structural geology and geological engineering, especially when studying faults and damage zones.

    Methods

    Based on an extensive literature review, we categorized and compared existing research in relation to different application scenarios.

    Results

    This study provides a detailed explanation of the basic principles of UAV aerial survey technology and the definition of fault damage zones and associated structures. It also enumerates widely used methods for identifying the extent of fault damage zones and characterizing structural features. Additionally, application scenarios of UAV aerial survey technology within fault damage zones are summarized.

    Conclusion

    Overall, UAV aerial survey technology has been widely applied in the study of faults and their damage zones, meeting various research needs. However, challenges remain in both the front-end (structural information acquisition) and back-end (structural information interpretation) processes, leaving ample room for future applications and advancements.
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