RELICS OF MINING ACTIVITIES IN WEST BOHEMIA – MAPPING BY AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING

Abstract. The part of the Czech Republic – West Bohemia is well known for mining activities, different types of raw materials have been extracted from mines near Jáchymov, Sokolov and other sites since medieval times till today. There are original maps of some sites, as well there is effort of some geologists to find and map relics of mining activities (such as digs visible in terrain) by land survey. The quality of these available maps is unfortunately questionable – due to its age or used methods. Our aim was to find resource useful for searching for these sites, than to use field survey to confirm our findings. We used available digital terrain model (DTM) based on airborne laser scanning (ALS) technology to map relics of mining activities in West Bohemia. The Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre started in 2008 project for terrain mapping using the ALS method. The aim of mapping was to get authentic and detailed DTM of the Czech Republic. About 2/3 of area is currently covered by the DTM based on ALS, this year the mapping should be complete. The dataset is characterised by the density of 1–2 points/m² and the standard deviation in altitude of model points is up to 30 cm (in forested areas). We had DTM in form of shaded surface for one third of the Czech Republic. The shaded surface enables to highlight terrain break lines, which is suitable for archaeological research. Terrain modifications caused by human activity are characterized by terrain break lines, local tops or pits, which do not fit to local geomorphology. Visual image interpretation of the dataset is in the process.