9-1 Assessing the Relationship Between Subsurface Geology and Surficial Geomorphology: Remotely Predicting Geologic Features and Geohazards Using an Elevation-Trained Machine Learning Algorithm in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Session: Advances in Geologic Mapping, Databases, and Dissemination: Student Posters

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The growing availability of remotely derived elevation datasets for largely inaccessible regions like planetary bodies and the deep seafloor has created new opportunities to analyze terrain morphology, yet coincident subsurface geologic information remains limited in these areas due to survey cost and logistical constraints. This research evaluates the extent to which geomorphological characteristics derived from seafloor elevation data can be used to predict subsurface geological features in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Specifically, Maximum Entropy Presence-Only (MaxEnt) spatial distribution modeling was used to predict the presence of seafloor geological features (e.g. faults, liquid and gaseous seeps, pockmarks and mud volcanoes, etc.) from integrated quantitative geomorphological data derived from seafloor bathymetry (e.g. geomorphons, BPI, slope, rugosity, curvature, aspect).The predictive skill of the resulting models was quantitatively evaluated using k-fold cross validation.  

In addition to geologic feature prediction, the capacity of this modeling approach to predict landslide susceptibility was also evaluated. Specifically, this approach quantified the morphology of intact slopes adjacent to documented slope failures rather than that of the centroids of post-landslide areas. This method was designed to more accurately capture the pre-failure surface conditions that contribute to slope instability in regions influenced by salt tectonics, rapid sedimentation, and fluid overpressure.  

The presented probabilistic modeling approach is intended to evaluate the extent to which elevation-derived variables and morphology can predict locations with high likelihoods of faults, fluid-migration pathways, or landslide potential. To assess the applicability of this remote prediction on a planetary body, the modeling approach was applied to a Mars analog using orbital elevation data with the overall goal of establishing a transferable model for inferring faulting and geohazard potential from surface elevation data. 

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