Using the iPhone as a tool in structural geology

3D modeling has emerged as a preferred method for analyzing three-dimensional data, enabling users to collect extensive and highly accurate data in a shorter time compared to traditional surveying methods. The characterization of rock masses necessitates data for discontinuities. Remote sensing techniques, such as Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), generate 3D point clouds (3DPC) that facilitate geometrical analysis. Since the 2000s, the scientific community has been rigorously testing these techniques, and companies have increasingly incorporated them into their workflows. Today, mobile phones have become more adept at 3D modeling, with the latest iPhone models (12, 13, 14, 15 Pro) and iPad Pro featuring integrated Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. This paper investigates the digitalization of a rocky slope using the iPhone 13 Pro, comparing it to traditional data collection methods like compass surveys. The target of this work is one outcrop of platy and thick-bedded limestones near the village Farish in the Central part of Macedonia. To capture the structural features of the rock, such as dip and dip direction, compass surveying and LiDAR scanning for obtaining 3DPC using an iPhone are performed. Georeferencing of the 3DPC is done using a GPS instrument. The 3DPC data is analyzed using the CloudCompare software. The obtained results from geological mapping compared to the mapping using the 3DPC, show a highly promising match.