GIS-based assessment of surface deformation patterns using fractal analysis of topography: Kharmankuh anticline,Zagros Mountains,Iran

Fractal is an applicable implement for evaluation of the complicated patterns of natural features. geoinformatics allow not only representing data,but also performing geostatistical analysis and building models. this paper investigates the deformation pattern of land surfaces applying advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer global digital elevation model (aster gdem) through a combined geo-information and fractal approach. the covering divider method is applied in order to extract fractal dimension of the earth surface (dsurf) directly for estimating surface roughness of the earth topography surf through geographic information system (gis) approaches. specifying the function of the geomorphologic processes on the spatial variability of fractal properties of the earth surface is accessible through this assessment. fractal dimension mapping us to ascertain geomorphic domains where variability of fractal dimension of the earth surface represents the roughness of the land form topography and is an assessment of texture of topography. results show that the presented approach in this research using the presented flow chart provides a rapid and facile procedure to evaluate the spatial distribution of the earth surface deformation within geological regions. relatively higher fractal dimensions are observed where loose alluvial deposits and irregularities exists whilst the lower fractal dimension represents existence of the competent formations. the results showed that the kharmankuh anticline has formed in a ne-sw direction and shows nearly symmetrical deformation pattern. © 2016,national centre of excellence in geology. all rights reserved.