Aerial studies of the Earth's surface could help predict in which areas earthquakes and landslides may occur, scientists say.
Experts are using specialist sensors carried by planes to pinpoint areas of land which are changing shape as a result of the Earth's plates moving.
Researchers from Edinburgh University have used the data to investigate how these movements - known as tectonic activity - have affected hills in California's San Andreas Fault.
The data demonstrated that tectonic activity has shifted land up, down and horizontally at a ridge called Dragon's Back.
This type of movement is typically associated with earthquakes, which often occur at the boundaries between plates, 'news.Com.Au' reported.
The movement of plates determines how sharp a hill's ridges are and the length and steepness of its slopes. Higher hilltops and steeper slopes are evidence of a "growing" landscape associated with faults, scientists said.
The hills were measured using the LiDAR technique, which uses light pulses to gauge distances, and is more accurate than conventional radar technology, which employs electromagnetic signals.
The team said the study could alert scientists to future land shifts and fault activity, AAP news agency reported.
"We are excited by our finding that growing landscapes have a distinct topographic signature that can be detected using improved remote sensing techniques," said Simon Mudd, from Edinburgh University's School of Geosciences.
"In tectonically active regions, such growing landscapes are associated with faults so our findings offer the potential of rapid and cost-effective detection of potentially hazardous areas," Mudd said.
The study was published in the journal Science.
