Determining Accurate Locations of the Mill Creek and Mission Creek fault strands near Forest Falls, California through the use of remote sensing mapping

SMSU Event Center BC

The accuracy of existing, mapped locations of the Mill Creek and Mission Creek faults were evaluated and updated using remote sensing and GIS methods where the faults pass through the San Bernardino mountain community of Forest Falls, CA. Original mapping was published in the 1990’s or earlier and without the benefits of accurate GIS locationing. Using historical maps and aerial photography, combined with airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data imagery, reconnaissance field mapping, and GIS locationing, this study was able to reveal additional geomorphic features to determine more accurate positions of the Mill Creek and Mission Creek faults in local areas of the fault traces. Because of on-going active debris flow deposition on alluvial fans and drainages, it is difficult to map these faults due to the limited exposure of older geomorphic surfaces and significant thicknesses of young Holocene alluvium. However, today’s Digital Surface Model (DSM) imagery and Digital Terrain Model (DTM) imagery eliminates obstructions posed by vegetation and housing structures to provide an enhanced perspective of the Forest Falls geomorphology that was unavailable for prior studies. In addition, this study recognized the possible presence of previously undocumented tectonic geomorphic features such as fault scarp in Lodge Canyon and faceted spurs along the base of Rattlesnake Creek, Snow Creek and Lodge Canyon. This study achieved in analyzing the correct position of the Mill Creek fault and Mission Creek fault and even detecting faulting that is possibly part of Mill Creek fault.