IMAGE PROCESSING TECHNIQUES FOR GEOLOGICAL MAPPING OF KURMUK-QEISSAN AREA, BLUE NILE STATE, SUDAN

Magdi A.Rousol Tombe Geologist Regional Geology Administration Geological Research Authority of Sudan [GRAS] P. O. Box 410.Khartoum.Sudan. E-mail: magitombe@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT: Digital image processing, on screen interpretation and GIS, applied to TM imagery of Kurmuk-Qeissan area, Blue Nile State for regional lithological and structural mapping. False color composite, principal component, band ratio, high frequency edges, highlighted areas of hydrothermal alteration associated with granitoids emplacement and shear fabrics. The results integrated with available previous geological maps and location of old gold workings. The work resulted in lithological discriminations and a close association of the buried gold mineralized channels with the igneous intrusions. The intrusive activities are poly phase in which the later phases are thought to be responsible for the absence of Iron rich gossans in the study area, where later uplifting exposes the gossans to erosion and washing agents. Remote sensing data integrated with other data sets in GIS, is a cost-effective mean for geological mapping and exploration-exploitation of Mineral resources.

INTRODUCTION:

The study area is a remote wooded and rugged hazardous terrains in the extreme south of Blue Nile State. Geologically the area is located along the western wedge of lowgrade volcano-sedimentary-ophiolitic sequence in the East in juxtaposition with the highgrade supercrustal rocks in the West. The volcano-sedimentary sequences were found sandwiched between the high-grade orthogneisses, which occur as wedges, and blocks bounding the low grades to the East and West. Granitoids, slices of basalt-andesites, clastic metasediments, and volcanogenic clastic rocks were encountered thrusted on the high-grade rocks of the area. Rocks such as Quartz-chlorite schist, Phyllites, graphitic schist, Marble were found differentially effected by shearing, mylonitization which were thought to mark major thrust and fault zone, related to the opening and closing of small oceans during Pan African tectonic events, [1100-550] ma. Most rock forming mineral have a little or no response to spectra only a few number of these minerals control the reflectance signatures detected in TM imagery. However, these wave bands cover absorption features present in Iron bearing minerals, hydroxides and hydroxylated silicates such as clays chlorites and serpentine minerals. Whereas variation in opaque mineral with low flat spectra controls the albedo over soil dominated surfaces. Digital image processing started with the idea to manipulate and interpret the TM imagery using computer designed software [ENVI, ERDAS, Arc View GIS, and Arc Info], to generate a tentative geological map at scale 1:250000. The TM images have path/row [171/52,171/53,172/52and172/53] and were captured [1987] with zero cloud cover, swath of 185km and ground resolution of 30x30 m2.

Statistical method was adapted for bands selection. The least correlated bands were displayed for color composites.

Band 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Min 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Max 156 99 164 146 254 201 254

Mean 83.502895 36.346830 48.864205 51.702523 90.623237 151.873223 44.034614

Stdev 6.579603 4.963741 10.128891 13.742808 21.480113 9.696128 9.833718

Bands Histogram

The best tested combination expresses the lithological variation of the area is that of band 5, band 3 and band 1, displayed as R, G and B, false color composite. The advantage of this combination is that it preserves the 30m resolution of solar-shade topography essential for detection and mapping the elements of geology, good representation of albedo and its wide rang of hue associated with spectral variation of surface material.

False Color composite

IMAGE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES: Principal Component Transformation: Theoretically PC image effectively suppress shadow effects and may achieves subtle lithological discrimination. However PCs color composite images were found to be inferior in this study. Pc3 derived from TM band 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7, displayed as single monochrome image effectively highlights areas of hydrothermal alteration.

Principle Component Image

Band Ratio: Band ratio is a well-developed technique, which utilizes spectral properties of certain minerals that influence the radiant of various rock types. The operation is preformed by division of pixel digital number (DN) of tow bands, and after appropriate contrast enhancement, it shows reflectance variation in the original data. For insane, ferric iron exhibits absorption feature around 870nm and 350nm with subordinate absorption around 500nm, ferrous iron shows absorption feature around 100nm, (180-200) nm and (550-570) nm, whereas clays and carbonates around (210-224) nm and (190-235) nm, 250 nm respectively. Band ratios of 7/5, 5/4, 3/1, (Hunt et; al) and 5/7, 3/1 and 4/3 (ERDAS, 1982-1994) were applied in this study, ratios of 3/1, 4/3, and5/7 was found to be the best combination of ratios in R, G and B.

Ratio Image 1

Ratio Image 2

High frequency edges: Filtering operation was used to define spatial frequencies due to tonal variation in the image data. Areas of high spatial frequency are tonally rough, showing local differences in gray value; in contrast, low spatial frequency areas exhibit brightness changes are smooth. Directional convolution filtering of 90 and 180 and 7x7 window size, was best to defined linear features as well as major and small-scale faults in the study area.

Filter Image

IMAGE INTERPRETATION: Geological interpretation of TM images relies at first place on recognition of boundaries between pixels of different tone, color, texture and high spatial frequency edges. These differences may be related to variation in composition, structural controlled topographic feature or rocks with different response to erosion. With some backgrounds on the geology of the area, it becomes possible to assign certain rock types to the image units. The high frequency edges are thought to represent structural features which may be layering or bedding, planer tectonic fabric, discrete faults and fracture surfaces. The recognition of various shapes, pattern and their relationships in addition to the distribution of discontinuous rock units, major fractures and shear zones could be traced and mapped. Post intrusions of igneous rocks could be recognized through careful observation of crosscutting relationships. Normal sense of displacement or thrust may be detected through repetition or omission of sequences provided that a vertical succession of the mappable units is established. Data extracted form the processed TM imageries were integrated with previous maps and known gold workings location using GIS software. The idea is that; the previous maps of the area were scanned, registered and saved in raster format in the GIS database together with the digitally processed images. The capability of software to display the data simultaneously assisted too much in the interpretation process.

Different ship files comprising polygons, lines and points were made to describe lithology, lineament and location as depicted in the TM imagery. The nomenclatures of the rock units were taken from the maps and were checked in the field. In the PC monochromic image clay areas appear in light tone, whereas Iron oxides in dark, marking areas of possible hydrothermal alteration. This had been conformed in the ratio image as cyan to yellow-green and greenish to yellowish for Iron oxide. The mafic rocks appear to be of various hues due to variation in clay and Iron oxide minerals, appeared as shades of brownish to blue and dark brown, in the false color and ratio images. Granites appear to be reddish-brown in the false color composite and totally dark in PC image and greenish in ratio image, gneisses and granodioritic rocks appear to be yellowish to brown and maroon in the false color composite and the ratio images, whereas in the PC image were covered by different proportion of clays. The gold bearing placer gravels are mainly granitic, basic rock fragments and quartz boulders loosely cemented by silica, iron oxides and clays, these gravels usually occur as terraces filling old channels and beds of resent streams. In the ratio image the mineralized areas show yellow hue, sometimes offset by the reddish hue due to presents of iron oxides. The emplacement of the granotiods in the low-grade rocks is thought to have mobilized the gold, which was transported as hydrothermal fluids, the gold precipitated in structural traps, which detected in the filter image to be coinciding with lineament intersection areas. The wall rock of the mineralized veins is altered and the mineral together with the weathering products occur above the gold deposits in the soil profile. Iron-rich [gossans] were not detected in the area, which may be due to the complex tectonic history of the area. All the data extracted with the above mentioned methods and the previous maps were compiled using GIS software to produce a tentative geological map for the area of study.

Tentative Geological Map

Major Lineaments

CONCLUSION: It has been demonstrated that remote sensing and GIS techniques are powerful tools provided that possibilities and constrains of the remotely sensed data are checked in the light of fieldwork. Valuable geological information may be provided through incorporation of GIS, in such case enhancement of interesting anomalies not detected by conventional methods could be achieved in addition to economic implications regarding time, fieldwork duration, and manpower.

AKNOWLEDGEMENT: With due respect I acknowledge the Regional geology administration of GRAS, Sudan, for supporting this work and my special regard to Mr. I .A. Shaddad, for his valuable advices and support and Mr. J. A. Elmahi for reviewing this work.

With my compliments