Image and lazar analysis of fine gravel

The project is associated with a larger project, financed by Formas. The aim is to study the physical composition of the till and see if and how there is a couple to bedrock properties. The project studies till from all different aspects. Two test areas associated with rock quarries have been studied in detail, one at Olunda near Uppsala, and one at Bäckseda near Vetlanda. Several geophysical tests have been made over a test area of till at each site. This includes georadar, resistivity, magnetic susceptibility, VLF and seismic. The size distribution and lithological composition of the clasts >2cm has been studied at each site.
The aim of this x-job is to study is to develop a new image analysis and lazar analysis method for the determination of 3-D size distribution of particles that range in size 1-2 cm. We have developed a lab/field method for 3-D size distribution for particles > 2cm. We have also developed a laboratory method for 3-D size distribution of silt and sand. What we have not mastered as yet is an image analysis method for fine gravel.
We have an idea of how this can be accomplished. First gravel particles will be glued to a clear plastic sheet; on the order of 200 particles on one sheet. These will be imaged using a digital camera mounted about 1 m above the particles. The background, below the clear sheet, will be placed on top of glow-in-the-dark plastic. Thus when we turn off the lights we will obtain silhouette images of all the particles, particles do not touch or overlap. This should be easy and will yield a 2-D image of all the particles. How then to determine the third dimension? We suggest that the plastic with the particles mounted is analyzed using our lazar scanner. If we make a 3-D lazar scan of the particles in the same arrangement as in the 2-D image we can couple the results for the size of the third dimension to the image analysis results.
The project will evaluate the differences in results between image analysis and lazar analysis.
There are 8 existing samples of gravel from till at two sites. The gravel has been sorted into subgroups consisting of different rock types. We will need to study samples from glaciofluvial deposits (another masters thesis project will collect these and sort them into rock types). The study will determine the size, shape and surface texture of the gravel particles. Similar studies have been made of the particles > 2cm from the same samples (other subproject). A comparison can then be made to see if there are differences in size, shape and surface texture in different particle fractions in the till and glaciofluvium.

The project is suitable for either an engineering or a geology student which has good mathematical and data handling skills.
The advisor of the project is Docent Joanne Fernlund. You will also work in close cooperation with other master students working on associated projects and well as doctorate student Mimmi Arvidsson.