Application of Landsat-8 and ALOS-2 data for structural and landslide hazard mapping in Kelantan, Malaysia

Identification of high potential risk and susceptible zones for natural hazards of geological origin is one of the most important applications of advanced remote sensing technology. Yearly, several landslides occur during heavy monsoon rainfall in Kelantan River basin, Peninsular Malaysia. Flooding and subsequent landslide occurrences generated significant damage to livestock, agricultural produce, homes and businesses in the Kelantan River basin. In this study, remote sensing data from the recently launched Landsat-8 and Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2 (PALSAR-2) on board the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-2 (ALOS-2) were used to map geologic structural and topographical features in the Kelantan River basin for identification of high potential risk and susceptible zones for landslides and flooding areas. The data were processed for a comprehensive analysis of major geological structures and detailed characterizations of lineaments, drainage patterns and lithology at both regional and district scales. The analytical hierarchy process (AHP) approach was used for landslide susceptibility mapping. Several factors such as slope, aspect, soil, lithology, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land cover, distance to drainage, precipitation, distance to fault and distance to the road were extracted from remote sensing satellite data and fieldwork to apply the AHP approach. Directional convolution filters were applied to ALOS-2 data for identifying linear features in particular directions and edge enhancement in the spatial domain. Results indicate that lineament occurrence at regional scale was mainly linked to the N-S trending of the Bentong-Raub Suture Zone (BRSZ) in the west and Lebir Fault Zone in the east of the Kelantan state. The combination of different polarization channels produced image maps that contain important information related to water bodies, wetlands and lithological units. The N-S, NE-SW and NNE-SSW lineament trends and dendritic, sub-dendritic and rectangular drainage patterns were detected in the Kelantan River basin. The analysis of field investigation data indicates that many of flooded areas were associated with high potential risk zones for hydrogeological hazards such as wetlands, urban areas, floodplain scroll, meander bend, dendritic and sub-dendritic drainage patterns, which are located in flat topographic regions. Numerous landslide points were located in a rectangular drainage system that is associated with a topographic slope of metamorphic and quaternary rock units. Consequently, structural and topographical geology maps were produced for Kelantan River basin using PALSAR-2 data, which could be broadly applicable for landslide hazard mapping and identification of high potential risk zone for hydrogeological hazards. Geohazard mitigation programs could be conducted in the landslide recurrence regions and flooded areas to reduce natural catastrophes leading to loss of life and financial investments in the Kelantan River basin. In this investigation, Landsat-8 and ALOS-2 have proven to successfully provide advanced Earth observation satellite data for disaster monitoring in tropical environments

Orogenic Gold in Transpression and Transtension Zones: Field and Remote Sensing Studies of the Barramiya–Mueilha Sector, Egypt

Multi-sensor satellite imagery data promote fast, cost-efficient regional geological mapping that constantly forms a criterion for successful gold exploration programs in harsh and inaccessible regions. The Barramiya–Mueilha sector in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt contains several occurrences of shear/fault-associated gold-bearing quartz veins with consistently simple mineralogy and narrow hydrothermal alteration haloes. Gold-quartz veins and zones of carbonate alteration and listvenitization are widespread along the ENE–WSW Barramiya–Um Salatit and Dungash–Mueilha shear belts. These belts are characterized by heterogeneous shear fabrics and asymmetrical or overturned folds. Sentinel-1, Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR), Advanced Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), and Sentinel-2 are used herein to explicate the regional structural control of gold mineralization in the Barramiya–Mueilha sector. Feature-oriented Principal Components Selection (FPCS) applied to polarized backscatter ratio images of Sentinel-1 and PALSAR datasets show appreciable capability in tracing along the strike of regional structures and identification of potential dilation loci. The principal component analysis (PCA), band combination and band ratioing techniques are applied to the multispectral ASTER and Sentinel-2 datasets for lithological and hydrothermal alteration mapping. Ophiolites, island arc rocks, and Fe-oxides/hydroxides (ferrugination) and carbonate alteration zones are discriminated by using the PCA technique. Results of the band ratioing technique showed gossan, carbonate, and hydroxyl mineral assemblages in ductile shear zones, whereas irregular ferrugination zones are locally identified in the brittle shear zones. Gold occurrences are confined to major zones of fold superimposition and transpression along flexural planes in the foliated ophiolite-island arc belts. In the granitoid-gabbroid terranes, gold-quartz veins are rather controlled by fault and brittle shear zones. The uneven distribution of gold occurrences coupled with the variable recrystallization of the auriferous quartz veins suggests multistage gold mineralization in the area. Analysis of the host structures assessed by the remote sensing results denotes vein formation spanning the time–space from early transpression to late orogen collapse during the protracted tectonic evolution of the belt

Integrating remote sensing, GIS and in-situ data for structural mapping over a part of the NW Rif belt, Morocco

This study adopts an integrated approach using the geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques for structural mapping in inaccessible zone of the internal segment of North-Western Rif belt, Morocco. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Optimal Index Factor (OIF), band ratios and directional filtering are applied to Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) image for mapping lithology and geological structures. Tectonic lineaments are extracted using the remote sensing and GIS approach and verified by in-situ data. Lithology and detailed structural features in the study area as well as the main sets of fractures trending NW–SE and E–W are identified and highlighted. The results obtained in this research demonstrate that the integration of remote sensing imagery and GIS techniques is a reliable and low-cost approach to fracture extraction and structural mapping, particularly in remote and inaccessible regions of the African plate and other analogue zones around the world

Application of multi-sensor satellite data for exploration of Zn-Pb sulfide mineralization in the Franklinian Basin, North Greenland

© 2018 by the authors. Geological mapping and mineral exploration programs in the High Arctic have been naturally hindered by its remoteness and hostile climate conditions. The Franklinian Basin in North Greenland has a unique potential for exploration of world-class zinc deposits. In this research, multi-sensor remote sensing satellite data (e.g., Landsat-8, Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) and Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)) were used for exploring zinc in the trough sequences and shelf-platform carbonate of the Franklinian Basin. A series of robust image processing algorithms was implemented for detecting spatial distribution of pixels/sub-pixels related to key alteration mineral assemblages and structural features that may represent potential undiscovered Zn-Pb deposits. Fusion of Directed Principal Component Analysis (DPCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) was applied to some selected Landsat-8 mineral indices for mapping gossan, clay-rich zones and dolomitization. Major lineaments, intersections, curvilinear structures and sedimentary formations were traced by the application of Feature-oriented Principal Components Selection (FPCS) to cross-polarized backscatter PALSAR ratio images. Mixture Tuned Matched Filtering (MTMF) algorithm was applied to ASTER VNIR/SWIR bands for sub-pixel detection and classification of hematite, goethite, jarosite, alunite, gypsum, chalcedony, kaolinite, muscovite, chlorite, epidote, calcite and dolomite in the prospective targets. Using the remote sensing data and approaches, several high potential zones characterized by distinct alteration mineral assemblages and structural fabrics were identified that could represent undiscovered Zn-Pb sulfide deposits in the study area. This research establishes a straightforward/cost-effective multi-sensor satellite-based remote sensing approach for reconnaissance stages of mineral exploration in hardly accessible parts of the High Arctic environments

Urban morphology analysis by remote sensing and gis technique, case study: Georgetown, Penang

This paper was analysed the potential of applications of satellite remote sensing to urban planning research in urban morphology. Urban morphology is the study of the form of human settlements and the process of their formation and transformation. It is an approach in designing urban form that considers both physical and spatial components of the urban structure. The study conducted in Georgetown, Penang purposely main to identify the evolution of urban morphology and the land use expansion. In addition, Penang is well known for its heritage character, especially in the city of Georgetown with more than 200 years of urban history. Four series of temporal satellite SPOT 5 J on year 2004, 2007, 2009 and 2014 have been used in detecting an expansion of land use development aided by ERDAS IMAGINE 2014. Three types of land uses have been classified namely build-up areas, un-built and water bodies show a good accuracy with achieved above 85%. The result shows the built-up area significantly increased due to the rapid development in urban areas. Simultaneously, this study provides an understanding and strengthening a relation between urban planning and remote sensing applications in creating sustainable and resilience of the city and future societies as well

Shear-Related Gold Ores in the Wadi Hodein Shear Belt, South Eastern Desert of Egypt: Analysis of Remote Sensing, Field and Structural Data

Space-borne multispectral and radar data were used to comprehensively map geologi- cal contacts, lithologies and structural elements controlling gold-bearing quartz veins in the Wadi Hodein area in Egypt. In this study, enhancement algorithms, band combinations, band math (BM), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), decorrelation stretch and mineralogical indices were applied to Landsat-8 OLI, ASTER and ALOS PALSAR following a pre-designed flow chart. Together with the field observations, the results of the image processing techniques were exported to the GIS environment and subsequently fused to generate a potentiality map. The Wadi Hodein shear belt is a ductile shear corridor developed in response to non-coaxial convergence and northward escape tectonics that accompanied the final stages of terrane accretion and cratonization (~680–600 Ma) in the northern part of the Arabian–Nubian Shield. The evolution of this shear belt encompassed a protracted ~E–W shortening and recurrent sinistral transpression as manifested by east-dipping thrusts and high-angle reverse shear zones. Gold-mineralized shear zones cut heterogeneously de- formed ophiolites and metavolcaniclastic rocks and attenuate in and around granodioritic intrusions. The gold mineralization event was evidently epigenetic in the metamorphic rocks and was likely attributed to rejuvenated tectonism and circulation of hot fluids during transpressional deformation. The superposition of the NW–SE folds by NNW-trending, kilometer scale tight and reclined folds shaped the overall framework of the Wadi Hodein belt. Shallow NNW- or SSE-plunging mineral and stretching lineations on steeply dipping shear planes depict a considerable simple shear component. The results of image processing complying with field observations and structural analysis suggest that the coincidence of shear zones, hydrothermal alteration and crosscutting dikes in the study area could be considered as a model criterion in exploration for new gold targets

Structural characterisation of mangrove forests achieved through combining multiple sources of remote sensing data

Temporal information on mangrove extent, age, structure and biomass provides an important contribution towards understanding the role of these ecosystems in terms of the services they provide (e.g. in relation to storage of carbon, conservation biodiversity), particularly given the diversity of influences of human activity and natural events and processes. Focusing on the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (MMFR) in Perak Province, Peninsular Malaysia, this study aimed to retrieve comprehensive information on the biophysical properties of mangroves from spaceborne optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to support better understanding of their dynamics in a managed setting. For the period 1988 to 2016 (29 years), forest age was estimated on at least an annual basis by combining time-series of Landsat-derived Normalised Difference Moisture Index (NDMI) and Japanese L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The NDMI was further used to retrieve canopy cover (%). Interferometric Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) X/C-band (2000), TanDEM-X-band (2010–2016) and stereo WorldView-2 stereo (2016) data were evaluated for their role in estimating canopy height (CH), from which above ground biomass (AGB, Mg ha−1) was derived using pre-established allometry. Whilst both L-band HH and HV data increased with AGB after about 8–10 years of growth, retrieval was compromised by mixed scattering from varying amounts of dead woody debris following clearing and wood material within regenerating forests, thinning of trees at ~15 and 20 years, and saturation of L-band SAR data after approximately 20 years of growth. Reference was made to stereo Phantom-3 DJI stereo imagery to support estimation of canopy cover (CC) and validation of satellite-derived CH. AGB estimates were compared with ground-based measurements. Using relationships with forest age, both CH and AGB were estimated for each date of Landsat or L-band SAR observation and the temporal trends in L-band SAR were shown to effectively track the sequences of clearing and regeneration. From these, four stages of the harvesting cycle were defined. The study provided new information on the biophysical properties and growth dynamics of mangrove forests in the MMFR, inputs for future monitoring activities, and methods for facilitating better characterisation and mapping of mangrove areas worldwide.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe