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Abstract

AAPG Bulletin, V. 109, No. 2 (February 2025), P. 271-286.

Copyright ©2025. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

DOI: 10.1306/12162423082

Automatic facies classification using convolutional neural network for three-dimensional outcrop data: Application to the outcrop of the mass-transport deposit

Ryusei Sato,1 Kazuki Kikuchi,2 and Hajime Naruse3

1Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; [email protected]
2Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Chuo University, Hachioji, Japan; [email protected]
3Graduate School of Science Division of Earth and Planetary Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan; [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Recent advancements in three-dimensional (3-D) facies modeling of outcrops have enabled their prompt reconstruction through drone photogrammetry. Such 3-D outcrop Previous HitmodelsNext Hit facilitate the understanding of spatial lithofacies distributions and serve as valuable tools for quantitative analysis. Nevertheless, challenges persist in identifying facies within the digital Previous HitmodelsNext Hit of large-scale outcrops. To address this issue, this study proposes a method for automatically recognizing outcrop facies, using a convolutional neural network (CNN) model applied to a 3-D point cloud of an outcrop. The process involves constructing a 3-D outcrop point cloud through drone photogrammetry and translating the point cloud into a series of two-dimensional images containing the color and roughness properties of the outcrop surface. The CNN model was trained using manually annotated data sets with five distinct classes: pebbly mudstone, sedimentary block, vegetation, beach, and topsoil. The trained model accurately estimated outcrop facies in unknown test images, with a probability as high as 86.4% in terms of bltn23082i1-score. Furthermore, experimental results revealed that considering roughness information significantly improved lithofacies classification accuracy. Our method was applied to the outcrop of a mass-transport deposit exposed in the Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene Akkeshi Formation along the Esashito coast of Hokkaido Island, northern Japan. The trained CNN model effectively reconstructed the 3-D facies model, which substantially agreed with the actual spatial distribution in visual assessments. This novel approach offers a swift and precise means of reconstructing 3-D facies Previous HitmodelsTop even in large-scale or inaccessible outcrops, paving the way for quantitative analyses across diverse regions.

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