This thesis focuses on integrated structural analyses that improve the characterization and modelling of the bedrock surface morphology in areas with few direct observations of bedrock surface features. Brittle structures of the bedrock control the bedrock surface morphology at different scales. Elongate bedrock depressions form along the regional-scale network of deformation zones. The detailed morphology of the depressions is controlled by the prevailing fracture orientations observed on the outcrop-scale. The surface of elongate bedrock depressions is influenced by glacial erosion, which is governed by the brittle structures. This process causes the accumulation of glacifluvial sediment at the bottom of bedrock depressions, preventing direct observations of the underlying brittle structures. Structural analyses provide essential knowledge about the structural framework of the bedrock at different scales. This knowledge can be applied in areas that lack direct evidence of the brittle structures and bedrock surface morphology.

This thesis includes three articles (Papers I-III). They show that integrated structural analyses of the bedrock help to overcome methodological challenges when characterizing bedrock surface features in poorly-exposed areas. The structural analyses guide the bedrock surface interpolation, which results in geologically more realistic structurally-constrained bedrock surface models (bedrock-DEM). These improvements are achieved by structural analyses that recognize: i) prevailing fracture orientations (Papers I and III), ii) horizontal continuation of deformation zones (Paper II), and iii) fracture network within the damage zones of the deformation zones (Paper III). The structurally-constrained bedrock-DEMs reflect the bedrock surface irregularities controlled by brittle structures, providing more accurate background data for groundwater, geoenergy, and engineering applications.