Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is a method for rapidly collecting precise, 3D data on earthquake damage to geotechnical and structural systems. The document outlines TLS methods and provides three examples of its use after earthquakes: (1) documenting an embankment failure at Fujinuma Dam from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, (2) capturing a small coastal landslide in Japan, and (3) analyzing soil-structure interaction and foundation settlement of buildings in Chile. The examples demonstrate how TLS allows detailed remote assessment, change detection, and cross-sectional analysis to better understand ground failures.

1. Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures:
Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen
US Geological Survey
Menlo Park. CA &
University California Los Angeles
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

2. Acknowledgements to
Supporting Groups & Colleagues
EERI, Learning From Earthquakes (LFE)
GEER/NSF (Geotechnical Extreme-Event Reconnaissance)
Brian Collins, USGS
Michael Olsen, Oregon State University
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

3. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS)
OUTLINE
•TLS Methods, Metrics, and Overcoming Limitations
•Example 1: Fujinuma Dam failure. Fukushima. Japan
Large Embankment Failure
(Tohoku M9.0 Earthquake 3.11.2011)
•Example 2: Hitachinaka Port Landslide. Ibaraki. Japan
Small slump in coastal sediment
(Tohoku M9.0 Earthquake 3.11.2011)
•Example 3. Condominio Los Presidentes. Concepcion, Chile
Soil-Structure interaction and permanent settlement
(Maule. M8.8 Earthquake. 2.27.2010) Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

4. EERI - Learning From Earthquakes ( LFE)
• EERI’s mission is to send multidisciplinary teams on
post-event reconnaissance:
1) Document damage from earthquakes.
2) Assess follow-up areas of research.
3) Preserve damage information as empirical
benchmarks for analytical methods.
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

5. Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) major advance in the
reconnaissance approach of LFE:
• Promotes culture of safety through safe data collection
• Reconnaissance has very limited time window to document many
sites – TLS is fast.
• TLS allows remote data collection at sites where emergency
repair & cleanup efforts are underway
• Provides precise and abundant data-sets of damage
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

6. Types of Scan Analyses for Post EQ
Geotechnical Structural
LiquefactionLat. Spread Structural displacements
Landslides deflectionsrotations
AccretionErosion Crack patterns
Settlement Collapse Models
Scour Concrete failure
Surface fault rupture Permanent soil-structure
Quay & sea wall failures related interactions
Geomorphic change
detection
Ground Rupture
Rt. 160 Concepcion. Chile
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

7. Previous EERI/GEER EQ Reconnaissance using TLS
•2002 Denali, Alaska
•2004 Parkfield. California
•2004 Niigata Chuetsu, Japan
•2007 Niigata Chuetsu Oki Japan
•2008 Iwate-Miyagi, Japan
•2009 Samoa
•2010 Maule, Chile
•2011 Tohoku, Japan
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

8. Time based units. Laser backscatters off target,
Range= (c x Tflight)/2
Captures
complexity of
surfaces
Rapid and
eye-safe
Geometric
analysis of
damage
Change-
detection
Permanent
virtual archive Las Palmas Mine,
Chile, 2010
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

9. Simplified Processing Procedure
B: Reflector
A: Scan
Registration
Niigata Ken, Japan
C: Filter & TIN D: Quantify
Surface Deformations
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

10. Typical Non-Reconnaissance
TLS Setup
RTK-DGPS Base
RTK-DGPS Rover
Photogrammetric
Camera
Laser
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Benchmark Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

11. s
Domestic Reconnaissance:
Specialized tools for overcoming
obstacles and shadow-casting objects
High-altitude (20 m) Terrestrial LIDAR
1) Downward view
2) Improved grazing angle USGS ‘Space Needle’
3) Improved range = H / tan Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Nisqually Delta. WA
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

12. EERI & GEER Reconnaissance TLS Setup:
Bare essentials to capture the data
Basic reconnaissance-mode
data capture takes about 1-2
hours.
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

13. EXAMPLE 1: Fujinuma Dam
Failure. Fukushima Pref.
Japan.
Fujinuma Description
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

14. Pre-event dam
geometry based
on engineering
drawings.
Post-event dam
geometry based
on TLS imagery
(April. 5. 2011)
P
3/4/2013
a
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
g Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

15. Fujinuma Reservoir - Main
Dam Failure:
http://vimeo.com/29117030
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

16. Fujinuma Dam – Pre-failure contours and post-failure
imagery. ~8 meters of initial embankment failure and
8-10 meters of outflow cut-down.
Videos of Earthquake Damage:
https://vimeo.com/lidarmedialab
2 meter contours. View looking downstream from reservoir
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

17. EXAMPLE 2: Rotational slump at Hitachinaka Port.
Ibaraki Pref. Japan.
Hitachinaka
3/4/2013
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

18. Hitachinaka Port Landslide Video:
http://vimeo.com/28159536
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

19. Fujinuma Description
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

20. Hitachinaka Port. Ibaraki. Japan
Change Map
Post-Event
Pre-Event
Settlement
Distribution
Function
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

21. Hitachinaka Port.
Ibaraki. Japan
Settlement
Distribution
Function
3/4/2013
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

22. Cross-section analysis of deformation
on any slice or orientation.
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

23. EXAMPLE 3. Condominio Los Presidentes. Liquefied building
foundations at two of the 8 Story Buildings, Concepcion, Chile, 2010
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

24. Concepcion Condominios Description
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

25. Condominios los Presidentes Video:
http://vimeo.com/28831740
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

26. Condominio Los Presidentes
Concepcion. Chile. JAN 2013
Still about 1.5° tilt for the
abandoned Riesco Building.
3/4/2013
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

27. Videos of Earthquake Damage:
https://vimeo.com/lidarmedialab
GEER Reports:
http://www.geerassociation.org
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

28. Lessons learned from TLS in Post-Earthquake Studies
• TLS allows for safe data collection that preserves damage sites
virtually.
• TLS provides data to validate and calibrate numerical models
• For geotechnical and structural analysis, TLS provides more
information than can be used in current models
• TLS records vital context of surrounding terrain and objects
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

29. Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures:
Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen
US Geological Survey
Menlo Park. CA
-
University California Los Angeles
Civil & Environmental Engineering
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

30. Laser Laser
position 1 position 2
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Grand Canyon, AZ Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

31. Typical Reflector
Registration
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Grand Canyon, AZ Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA

32. -Calibration Study at the
Los Angeles Reservoir
LIDAR-TS (Control)
Earthquake-Induced Ground Failures: Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) Method
Robert Kayen, USGS & UCLA