Detection of Karst Features in the Black Hills Area in South Dakota/Wyoming, USA, Based on Evaluations of Remote Sensing Data

Landsat 8, Sentinel 2, Aster, RapidEye and PlanetScope data and Sentinel 1- and Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS)-Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR)-radar images have been evaluated for a karst feature inventory in the Black Hills area in Wyoming/South Dakota, USA. The GeoInformation System (GIS) integrated evaluation of the different satellite data included as well World Imagery files of ESRI and Bing Maps high resolution satellite data of Microsoft. The satellite data revealed several types of circular features related to karst such as enclosed depressions and collapsed dolines as well as traces of tectonic/structural features (visualized by lineament analysis) cutting through youngest sediments, influencing karstification processes. The origin of the circular features is complex and partly unknown, needing further investigations. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, such as Aster- and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM data with 30 m and ALOS PASAR DEM with 12.5 m spatial resolution contributed to the detection of depressions, partly related to karst phenomena (sinkholes). Time series of satellite data reveal seasonal changes of the landscape and provide a data base for the documentation of the impact of climate change.