Bulk and computer enhanced frames of the Verde Valley region of Central Arizona, have been analyzed for structural information and rock unit identification. Most major rock units in areas of sparse ground cover are identifiable on enhanced false-color composites. Regional structural patterns are strikingly visible on the ERTS images. New features have been identified which will aid in the search for ground water near Flagstaff, Sedona and Stewart Ranch

Billingsley, F. C.

Elston, D. P.

Goetz, A. F. H.

Lucchitta, I.

Shoemaker, E. M.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Paper G 19 
PRELIMINARY GEOLOGIC :NVESTIGATIONS I N  THE COLORADO PLATEAU 
USING ENHANCED ERTS IMAGES 
Alexander F. H. Goetz, ired C. Billingslev, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Gilifornia 
Donald Elston, I vo Lucchitta, U. S. Geological Survey, Flagtaff, Arizona 
Eugene MI Shoemakc.,, Celifornia Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 
ABSTRACT 
Bulk and lomputer enhanced frames of the Verde Valley 
region of C e n ~ r a l  Arizona, an area which has been well  mappe?, 
have been analyzed f o r  s t r u c t u r a l  information and rock u n i t  
ident i f ica t ion.  Most major rock un i t s  i n  areas of sparse 
ground cover a re  iden t i f i ab le  on enhanced false-color compos- 
i t e s .  Regional s t ruc tu ra l  pat terns  a re  s t r ik ing ly  v i s ib le  on 
the  ERTS images. New features have been iden t i f i ed  whi ' ,  w i l l  
a id  i n  the  search fo r  ground water near Flagstaff ,  Sedor. and 
Stewart Ranch. 
1. INFORMATION 
The purpose of our study i n  Central and Northwestern Arizona i s  to  
marry the  techniques 3f cmputer  image processing and f i e l d  geologic 
mapping t o  a t tack some regional  geologic problems of specia l  i n t e r e s t .  
Work i n  only one of the three  areas under study i s  diecussed i n  t h i s  paper. 
This area  i s  s i tuated i n  north-central  Arizona (Fig. 1) and i s  about 70 
miles i n  north-south extent  and 50 miles wide, and includes pa r t s  of the 
Colorado Plateau and the  adjacent "Mountain Region" t o  the  south. The area 
is  centered on the Verde Valley, and on the west includes p a r t  of the Chino 
Valley. Flagstaff  i s  on the  northeast boundary and Prescot t  l i e s  near the 
western boundary. 
11. GEOLOGIC SETTING 
I n  the  Colorado Plateau a res ,  Ter t iary  b a s a l t i c  flows l e s s  than a 
hundred t o  a few hundred f e e t  th ick ,  derived from scat tered eruptive 
centers during the  past-i.5 m y . ,  mantle nearly f l a t - ly ing  sedimentary 
s t r a t a  of Paleozoic age (Fig. 2) .  The Paleozoic beds aggregate severa l  
thousand f e e t  i n  thickne88. I n   he Verde Valley area,  the  Paleozoic 
s t r a t a  r i r e  s t ruc tu ra l ly  i n  a southerly d i rec t ion,  and the  b a s a l t i c  flaws 
403 9.1;' lnaf photogra~h~  MY b p u r c ~ a s d  I, 
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https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19730019518 2020-03-17T08:43:54+00:00Z
r e s t  on successively older  beds t o  the south. The southwestern nost  extent  
of preservation of Paleozoic s t r a t a  i n  c e n t r a l  Arizona occurs i n  t?e southern 
pa r t  of the map area ( ~ i g .  2). I n  the western and southwestern p s r t s  of the 
area,  the Ter t iary  basa l t s  over l i e  a va r i e ty  of Precambrian igneous and 
metamorphic rocks. A great  deal  of the  area has been mapped geologically i n  
d e t a i l ,  a t  sca les  of 1:62,500 and 1 : 4 8 , m  (see  references'.  The generalized 
geologic un i t s  shown i n  Figure 2, and th. f a u l t s  shown i n  Figure 3, here drawn 
pr incipal ly  from t h i s  published information. 
Non-metallic deposits  currer,tly being exploited are limestz~ne for cement, 
gypsum fo r  plasterboard, volcanic cinder deposits  rind gravel  deposits  for  road 
metal. Copper is the pr incipal  meta l l ic  mineral 'chat has been mined. Pro- 
duction hns come mainly from the  Serome area  and from south of Humboldt. 
111. PRELIMINARY FINDIPiGS 
The simple color cornpositpea of bands 4,5 and 7,  computer stretched t o  
increase contrast ,  show remarkably good corre la t ion with the  generalized 
geologic map shown i n  Figure 2. Areas not covered by Ponderosa pine exhibi t  
color tdnes diagnostic of  the individual  geologic un i t s ,  i n  s p i t e  of moderate 
vegetation cover i n  the fonn of Juniper bushes, sagebrush and grass.  In the 
areas of sparse vegetation a l l  major geologic un i t s  are iden t i f i ab le .  Areas 
mapped a s  Qg, gravel  and oediment deposits ,  cannot be d i f fe ren t i a t ed  from 
the  u n i t s  rrom which they were derived. For instance i n  the northern Verde 
Valley the  deposits  derived from the Paleozoic Supai Formation have the 
same charac te r i s t i c  color a s  the o r i g i n a l  uni t .  
The major copper workings, a s  wel l  as the  t a i l i n g s  leach ponds, are  
highly v i s i b l e  down t o  one resolution element i n  s i z e ,  because of the  
charac te r i s t i c  low su l f ide  r e f l e c t i v i t y  i n  the  near 1 R  compared t o  the 
v i s lh le .  These areno appear br ight  blue on a false-color I R  composite. 
IV.  FAULTS AND LRQEATIONS 
Well-developed regjonal  s t r u c t u r a l  pa t t e rns  a r e  s t r ik ing ly  v i s i b l e  on 
the  ERm images, pa r t i cu la r ly  where Precambrian metasedimentary and meta- 
v o l c p ~ i c  rocks a r e  a t  the  surface (e.g. southern pa r t  of  area;  Figs. 2 and 
3) The ancient  s t r u c t u r a l  g ra in  trends predominantly northeast  and north, 
and includes subordinate widely spacz*: east- trending l ineat ions .  Northwest- 
trending s t ~ w c t u r e s  and l ineation6 r e f l e c t  comparatively recent s t r u c t u r a l  
adjdetments and the  developnent of the  present  geomorphologic fonn of  the  
region. The northwest-trending l i n e a r  fea tures ,  f o r  the  most pa r t ,  a re  
l e s s  conspicuour than the  north and northeart-trending l ineat ions .  ERTS 
images show t h a t  most o f  the  eruptive center8 f o r  the  b a s a l t i c  volcanism 
on the  Colorado Plateau a r e  c l e a r l y  local ized along northeast  and north- 
trending lineaments. Thir suggertr t h a t  Precambrian rtruc.cures were 
re?ponsible f o r  the  localization of  the  eruptive centers,  and t h a t  
s t r u c t u r a l  adjustmentr along the  ancient  trends occurred during the Ter t i a ry  
v o l c u n i ~ .  The Oak Creek Fault ,  f o r  example, i s  inferred to  over l i e  a 
north-trending f a u l t  ryrtem 3.11 the  barement that i r  en echelon t o  the  
Shylock Fault  Zone north o f  Hmboldt . 
The lineaments mapped -~togeologi :al ly  ?ran the EWPC, images locally 
su?pltment, and generally complement, the pattern of known aappee fau l t s  
Iu unmapped areas, the lineaments constitute t h e  only s t ructural  inform- 
ation, information which provides an overall  sense as  GO the nature of the 
crackling of the crust. The lineaments range f r u a  very strongly developed 
se ts  of joints, t o  vaguely developed, alnost indefinite groups of short 
l inear features which t o g e t t e ~  portray a possible s t r u c t u ~ a l  grain. In  
sme cases, tfre well defined lineations ref lect  s t r a t i f i ca t ioc  ir. m#h- 
morphosed rocks j souti, af Hlmboldt' ; i n  other cases, they re f lec t  strong 
zonts of fracture ( i n  Paleozoic rocks near S e d o ~ \ .  It should be noted 
that  northwest-trending fractures i n  the Sedora area u e  extremtl:.- abundant 
and closely rpaced, and i n  images f rom low al t i tude are the overriding 
s t ructural  characteristic. The EKPS iap.ges of t h i s  area, however, display 
some very strong* developed northeast- and eaat-trending l imationn vnich 
previously were unrecognized. Similarly, a strong north-trending lincuuent 
which paral le ls  and l i e s  c u t  of the Oak Creek Fault was recognized a r  an 
elanent of the O a k  Creek Pault system i n  l lgh t  of the ERTS innges. The ERTS 
imger aspear to  provide a nethod for  "weing" impartant rtructzval grain i n  
sedimentary rocks beneath the 5analt cap in  the Flagstaff u e a .  Structural 
discontinuitier fr. the hsupcnt  a lso may be traced even where concealed by 
thick va l ley- f i l l  deporits. An -%uunple occurfa i n  the Chino Valley where one 
or more lineations may 5e traced northwestward f r a ~  HmboEt t o  past Stewart 
Ranch. 
An example of directional f i l t e r ing  t o  rmove horizontal Sanding and 
enhance small oriented feat;ues is  sham i n  Figure L. Several o r i e ~ t a t i o n s  
of s t ructural  grain are vis ible  aver a wide area or' the jmage. Such enhame- 
ments &re useful t o  a t t r ac t  the attention of the viewer to  subtle,  oriented 
features. However the subjective evaluation of the mapper is necessary t o  
exclude possible a r t i fac ts .  A more detailed account o r  the various methods 
of image nrocessing i s  given elsewhere i n  t h i s  volume ( ~ i l l i n g s l e y  and 
Goetz, 1973) . 
V. AFTLICATION n> GROUND WATER RESOURCE P R O B W  
The City of Flagstaff is presently i n  the proceas of  developing a 
source of subsurface water from the Cocctlino SanGstone at two loca l l t i e r :  
(1) i n  the Woody Mountain area, b5cre sc-rr?. v ~ l i 6  have k e n  tiriiie6, 
and (2) i n  the lower Lakt Mary area Whirc! one well has been dri l led.  The 
Coconino Sandstone appears t o  be saturated a i  t.hcse place8 and rel iable  
producing wells depend on fractured ground. Areas asrked by the inter-  
section of different ly orientmi se t s  of frmctuee w i l l  be important f c r  
guiding the location of wells th8t are  t o  be dr i l ied  t h i s  s u e r  in to  the 
Coconino Sandstone, and the location of a planned deep well that is t o  
t e s t  the stratigraphically much lower Redwill Limestone. Long rauge plan8 
fcr the developnent of a large supply of water rlll require the s t ructural  
evaluation of ground extending scae 60 mile8 rou theu t  of Flrgrtaff.  
The lineament8 rhown on Figure 3 in  the area of the Oak Creck Fault 
and Lake Muy haw been informally pravided to the City of Fl8grAY.ii and 
have been trrnrferred to the c i ty ' r  wo~king mp of the Woody Mountain -8. 
Figure 3 show that  an area immcdiately southeast of Xoody Mountain 
may be structural ly  favorable ?or sucsurfaze water. Stror6ly 2eveloped 
northwest-trendiq lineaments impinge and appear t o  intersect ~ o r t h -  
trendirg lineaments of the Oak Creek Fault systea. m e  ~ t i l i t y  of the 
ainor linermtnts and t he i r  r e l a t ~ a n  t o  a regional fracture ?attern 
rcmsins t o  'bc demnstrated. A llreamcnt lcap i s  t o  're ma2e employing 
normal a e r i a l  photographs i n  an analytic stereo plot ter  t o  supplement 
the lineaments derived frau ERTS images. RS-57 photography has 3een 
ordered t o  allow the campilation of lineasents for a more cxtendea area 
a t  a scale of 1:62,500, which is campatible with anticipat.ed d r i l l i r g  
target areas. The l a t t e r  w i l l  cover the area of internediate and long 
range planniw for  the development cf  Flagstaff's water resoruces. 
Stdona area: The State  Geologist of Arizona and Water Resources 
Division of the U. S. Geological Survey, are concerned with discovering 
r aew and extensive suppkv of water to serve ti.e scenic and rapidly 
developing Seaom area of the Verdt Valley. The potential  aquifer is the 
ReCnli  Limestone, which undcrller Sedona c ~ d  the c l i f f s  of Supri Formation 
and Gotonino Lirncrtone tha t  bounA ,dona o? the north and east. Information 
needed includer elev8tion control on key horizon8 i n  exposed beds, which w i l l  
provlae data on the s t ructural  a t t i tude  and spa t i a l  p s i t i o n  of the potential  
aquifer. Alro needed i r  the dir t r ibut ion of fracture zoaes tha t  woul? pernit  
the interconacctian of karst or  cavernour ground anticipated in  the lower 
part of the Reawall. In mch cares, one can encounter v i r tua l  underground 
"rivers". 
Exirting ERTS b q t 8  (Pig. 31 and high a l t i tude  RB-57 color photographs 
dirplay the character of fracturing in  the Sedom area. A few very well 
developed cart-west-trending lineament8 traqsect the more common NE-, NH- 
and north-trending 8ets  of lineantntr. We interpret t ha t  the scenic embay- 
wtt i n  the Colorado PlaJ.eau margin i n  which Sedona is located resulted 
from erosion in  an area that  i s  somcwhat more frhetiireit than ad:oining areas. 
The greater fracturing presumably re f lec ts  the existence of the fourth (E-W' 
s e t  of fractures. Developwnt of water resources w i l l  dawnd on the location 
of 8 favorable s t ructural  position for  the potential  aquii'er and the exis- 
tence of suitr3l.y fractured ground. We have begun dircussions which may lead 
to the establiahmcnt of a cooperative e f fo r t  toward the solution of t h i s  
problem. 
Chino Valley, Stewart  Ranch m a :  Another m a  of in te res t  t o  the State  
%sologirt and Water Reraurcer Divirion is  i n  Chino V6llev. near the Stewart 
Ftanch: Here, r u b r k n t i r l  p u n t i t i e r  of grcund water occur new the rurface, 
and flowiw well6 have been dri l led.  %z?ml: raurce, and recharge area8 
for  the water are not rea l ly  known, although the exirtence of outcrop8 of 
F9wcmbri.a Mautsal -rite i n  law hill8 nearby ( ~ i g .  2) ruggertr roma 
form of rtrmctunl control on the aquifer (~edwa l l  Limertone). 
The ERT8 imager bave revealed the exirtence of llnermsntr of Chino 
Valley which extend northwertmrd inrm Rumboldt. There can bo traced t o  
and w a l l  beyond the S t w r r t  Ranah area. They m pravirionrlly inter-  
preted to re f lec t  rtructure in bedrock beneath the valley fill. Their 
existence suggests t h a t  the  near-surface ground water is controlled by 
the existence of  a heretofore anrecognized "dam" i n  the  subsurface. 
A s t ruc tu ra l  evaluation of t h i s  a rea  is needed t o  allow the proper 
development of ground water resources. ERTS images, and high a l t i t u d e  
photographs, need t o  be analyzed f o r  the  d i s t r i b u t i o n  and character  of 
lineaments. These, in terpre ted i n  l i g h t  of s t ruc tu re  t be obtained 
from surface and su'csurface s tudies ,  should shed l i g h t  an water 
resodrnes i n  t h i s  pa r t  of the Chino Vblley. We ten ta t ive ly  p l ?  t o  
carry out  the  required s t ruc tu ra l  s tud ies  as  pa r t  of a coopere~ ive  
investigation with the appropriate f edera l  and s t a t e  agencies. 
REFERENCES 
Anderson, C. A. ,  and Slacet ,  P. M., 1972, Precambrian Geology of  the 
Northern Bradshaw Mountains, '?a-.-apai County, Arizona: U. S. Geol. 
Survey Bullet in 1336, 82 p., 2 pl .  
Anderson, C. A. ,  Blacet, P. M., S i lver ,  L. T., and Stern,  T. W. ,  1971, 
Revision of Precambrian Strat igraphy i n  the  Prescott-Jerome Area, 
Yavapai Cow.ty, Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey Bul le t in  1324-C, 
p. c1-c16. 
Anderson, C. A. a,~d Creksey, S. C., 1958, Geology w d  Ore Deposits of 
r;he Jerome Area, Yavapai County, Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey 
Su l l e t in  1230-F, p. F1-F19, 1 p1. 
Bil l ingsley,  F. C. and Goetz, A. F. H., 1973, Computer Techniques Used 
ror Some Enhancements of  ERTS Inages, ERTS Invest igator  Symposium 
March 5-9. Goddard Space Fl ight  Center. 
Huff, Lyman C., Sar,tos, Elmer, and Raabe, R G., 1966, Mineral Resources 
o f  the  Sycamore Canyon Primitive Area, Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey 
Bul le t in  1230-F, p. F1-F19, i p l .  
Krieger , Medora H. , 1965, Geology o f  the  Prescot t  and Paulden Quadrangles, 
Arizona: U. S. Geol. S u m y  Prof. Paper 467, 127 P., 5 PI. 
Lehner, Robert E. , 1958, Geology o f  the Clarkdale Quadrangle, Arizona: 
U. S. Geol. Survey S u l l e t i n  1021-8, p. 19511-N592, 3 p l .  
Twenter, R. F., and Metzger, D. G., 1963, Geology and Ground Water i n  
Verde Valley--the Mogollon R i m  Region, Arizona: U. S. Geol. Survey 
Bul le t in  lln, 129 p., 1 pl .  
Wilson, Eldred D. , Moore, Richard T. , an? Cooper, John R, , 1969, Geologic 
map o f  Arizona (scale  1:500,000) : Arizona Bureau of  Mines and U. 5. 
Geological Survey. 
/ 7 
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1 
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1 
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Figure 1. A portion of FRTS frme 1~114-17375- : Bh~uing the srea under study. 
. . 
408 
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Figure 2. Osnelrll~ed Ocologle I(.P Cmpilad fmm the Urntad References 
4w 

Figure 4, m t r r  enhrned product of 1, Thm  horlwnkal bmr fl1t.r 
rmmmg bmding .nd on)lutemr -11 1in.u fertumr in othmr dirsctionr. 


Preliminary geologic investigations in the Colorado Plateau using enhanced ERTS images

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