Rockfall Detection Using Differential Interference Synthetic Radar Technique from Sentinel-1 Satellite Imagery (Case study: Haraz road)

Massive material movements are natural geomorphic processes. This process refers to separation and downward transportation of soil and rock materials under the influence of gravity and causes the transfer of a large amount of material, such as pebbles. In Iran, the given climate, geology and topography, massive movements, debris, conditions results in low altitude areas, significant casualties, financial and environmental damages. Modeling physical processes of rockfall calls for examining the fracture of rocky elements, dimensional fall or jump, crushing, rotation, or slipping and the final subsidence, regardless of the volume constraints of rockfall which are defined by their high energy and mobility. Dynamic processes of rockfalls are overshadowed by spatial and temporal distribution properties, including the disruption conditions, geometric and mechanical properties of the rock blocks and rocky slopes. One of the most suitable methods for identification of rockfall phenomenon is using radar interferometry (D-INSAR) technique. The study examined Haraz road with twelve Sentinel 1 sensor images from March to May 2016. Then, using an interferometry technique of radar with artificial aperture, the rockfall rate of SAR data related to Sentinel 1 sensor was measured, obtained in high and low pass modes. In addition, three rockfalls registered on March 20, 2015, March 31, 2015, and May 10, 2015 were examined in this study. The results showed that the rockfall times in all three pilot maps of displacement have significant changes compared to the unchanged times in the images. Using radar satellites and differential interferometry techniques, one can detect the amount of rockfall and its location.