Investigation of toppling susceptibility in Ihlara valley (Aksaray) by photogrammetric and kinematic analysis

Within the presented thesis, a part of Ihlara Valley's side has been selected as the study area where the historical churches and carving structures were constructed by ancient people in Aksaray provincial borders. Selected part of the valley is one of the most visited places in this area. The dominant lithology of the area is the alluvium formed at the valley floor due to the columnar Kizilkaya ignimbrite and the Melendiz River. Due to the geological history and the Melendiz River shaping the valley in time, the Ihlara Valley has gained its present appearance. Columnar shaped and high oblique ignimbrites receive toppling failure because of the physical factors in this region. Features and definition of the discontinuities which causes instabilities in rock mass must be presented. This study is the most important and initial step to analyze instabilities as well. First of all dips and dip directions must be determined to characterize discontinuities. Due to the steep topography, assessment of discontinuities by measuring with a compass is almost impossible. For this reason, photogrammetric techniques, which have increasingly been used in engineering geology applications, have been employed. The main purpose of this study is to provide a new cost-effective approach to the evaluation of discontinuity controlled failures using smartphone camera images and photogrammetric techniques. With this approach, measurements for a topography that is not suitable for traditional geotechnical research similar to the field of study will be taken with less cost, less effort and less time. This study has been completed with a minimal cost. With the procedure proposed in this study, it is possible to calculate volume of the blocks and to monitor the slope movements with least effort.