This paper describes powerful methods of optics and mechanics brought to bear on important geomechanical problems. Whole-field surface glacier ice flow and mine-wall strains were mapped in two separate feasibility studies using high-resolution photography and coherent light to interrogate the images. Young’s fringe patterns result when a double-exposed transparency of a deforming surface is illuminated by a narrow beam of coherent light. Geometry gives a relationship between the surface displacement vector and the interference fringe patterns. The displacement occurring during the time-lapse interval is thus known. When applied to the surface of the Nisqually Glacier, Mt Rainier National Park, WA, the speckle method yielded ice flow data that was compared with similar flow data acquired by surveying techniques. In the areas for which results can be compared, our experiments yield a flow of .6 meters/day where conventional methods yield about .4 meters/day. The same photographic technique was applied to measure the visco-plastic deformation of a proposed nuclear waste repository carved into bedded salt deep in the earth’s crust Data reduction concluded with the differentiation of the displacement vector map to obtain the two-dimensional strain rate field which correlated well with extensometer-gathered data. The research demonstrates the feasibility of using whole-field optical techniques to map ice flow and mine-wall strains, and confirms certain, but not all, measurements of point-by-point instruments. Field work, data analysis, and additional potential applications of the speckle photography method are indicated.
