The analysis of elevation data obtained with LiDAR techniques is particularly suitable for geomorphologic studies and fault investigations as it allows for a preliminary study of large areas with desktop-based observations and measurements. We present various examples of utilization and interpretation of LiDAR-derived elevation data and their GIS derivatives from a geomorphic study: the Kern Canyon fault characterization in the southern Sierra Nevada, which is an active seismic source. The analysis of LiDAR data has been very helpful for generating first-order landscape analyses and for identification of key sites, which have been further investigated and in most cases confirmed with field observations. Specifically, in characterizing the Kern Canyon fault, analysis of elevation data helped produce accurate maps of key geomorphic expressions of the fault which would have otherwise been easily disregarded and provided estimates of the amount of vertical displacement along much of the 140-km-long fault.
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