Vol. 3 No. 1 (2024)

Cover caption: Drone-based lidar platform preparing to land after conducting a survey near Shä́r Ndü Chù (Duke River), Yukon, Canada, as part of a broader project coordinated by the Yukon Geological Survey to study the neotectonics and geothermal potential of the Eastern Denali fault. The drone offers a cost-effective way of obtaining otherwise expensive airborne lidar data, and compares favorably against established methods of topographic mapping, allowing landscapes to be surveyed in finer detail than was previously possible. This technology is particularly important in forested regions where dense vegetation would otherwise obscure subtle landforms, such as those produced by crustal faults in low strain settings. Credit: Guy Salomon.