Use of the ERTS imagery involved the recognition and interpretation of various ground patterns. Analysis and application are tied to ongoing programs. Specific studies utilizing the imagery and NASA aircraft photography are: a statewide lake and dam inventory; assessment of flooding and floodprone areas along the Missouri portion of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers; land-use classification for several counties; structural features in selected areas; and Pleistocene features in northern Missouri. Though it has been suggested that repetitive coverage is not necessary for geologic studies, it is this specific feature along with the synoptic view of large portions of the State that provided the potential for the utilization of the ERTS imagery in Missouri. Other State agencies, Departments of Conservation, Agriculture, and Community Affairs, have expressed interest in the potential application of ERTS data in their respective fields

Allen, W. H.

Martin, J. A.

Rath, D. L.

Rueff, A.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

Paper G 2 
SUMMARY OF AN INTEGRATED ERTS-1 PROJECT AND ITS RESULTS AT THE 
MISSOURI GEOLOGICAL SURVEY* 
James A. Martin, William H. Allen, David L. Rath, and Ardel Rueff, Missouri Geological Survey, 
Box 250, Rolla, Missouri 65401 
ABSTRACT 
The aims of the Missouri Geological Survey ERTS-1 project have 
shifted significantly since i t s  original inception. In i t i a l ly ,  the non- 
funded study was to  evaluate environmental and geologic engineering 
parameters along the S t .  Louis t o  Kansas City Corridor from ERTS 
imagery. 
oped i n  budgeting time. 
of both ERTS-1 imagery and NASA-supplied ae r i a l  photography provided a 
significant impetus to  a number of other Survey projects. 
However, normal work loads took precedence and problems devel- 
Though the corridor study suffered, u t i l i za t ion  
U s e  of the imagery involved the recognition and interpretation of 
Analysis and application a re  t ied  to  ongoing various ground patterns. 
programs. 
photography are: 
flooding and floodprone areas along the Missouri portion o f  the Missis- 
s i p p i  and Missouri Rivers, land-use classification for  several counties; 
structural  features i n  selected areas , and Pleistocene features i n  north- 
ern Missouri. 
Specific s t u d i e s  u t i l i z ing  the imagery and NASA a i r c ra f t  
a statewide lake and dam inventory; assessment of 
Though it has been suggested tha t  repeti t ive coverage is not nec- 
essary for  geologic studies, i t  i s  t h i s  specific feature along with the 
synoptic view of large portions of the State  that  provided the potential 
for  the u t i l i za t ion  of the ERTS imagery i n  Missouri. Other State  agen- 
cies, Departments of Conservation, Agriculture, and Community Affairs, 
have expressed in te res t  i n  the potential application of ERTS data i n  
the i r  respective f ie lds .  t 
INTRODUCTION 
Unlike funded projects which a re  t i e d  d i r ec t ly  t o  a specific sub- 
jec t ,  a diversified, nonfunded program has evolved within the Missouri 
Geological Survey. 
10 active Survey programs and 11 projects that  are  underway or  have been 
completed by s i s te r -s ta te  agencies, industry, or  the federal government. 
A d i r ec t  outgrowth of th i s  in te res t  i n  remote sensing has been the estab- 
lishment by the Governor of a committee on Technical Data Sharing. The 
committee has the responsibility of making recommendations a t  the State  
government level on acquisition and use o$ remote sensing data. 
ERTS imagery and NASA photography are  being used i n  
*Publication authorized by the S ta te  Geologist, Missouri Geological 
Survey 
w 
I 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=19740022635 2020-03-17T15:07:40+00:00Z
This repor t  is  a compilation of the s i g n i f i c a n t  geologic fea tures  
defined on the  ERTS-1 imagery. 
viously described (Allen, Martin, and Rath, 1973, and Martin, Allen,  and 
Rath, 1973). 
Many of t he  f ea tu res  shown have been pre-  
Study of the imagery t o  date  has been r e s t r i c t e d  t o  v i sua l  examina- 
t i o n  of t he  bulk product, both pos i t ives  and negatives.  
in f ra red  and co lor  enhanced images are prepared from the  bulk product on 
co lor  diazochrome fi lm. The method is  s i m p l e ,  f a s t ,  and inexpensive -- 
exposed,,under a sun lamp and developed i n  a wide-mouth jar. The r e s u l t -  
ing product can be used d i r e c t l y  o r  photographed f o r  s l i d e s .  Because of 
t he  varying dens i t i e s  found i n  the pos i t ive  t ransparencies ,  it i s  neces- 
sa ry  t o  experiment with exposure times i n  making the  diazo enhancements. 
Fa l se  co lor  
DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESENT ERTS-1 PROGRAM 
The ERTS-1 inves t iga t ion  a t  the Missouri Geological Survey has 
changed completely both i n  aim and personnel from the o r ig ina l  proposal. 
The i n i t i a l  study, t o  apply imagery da ta  t o  urban and engineering geol- 
ogy problems along the  S t .  Louis-Kansas Ci ty  Corridor, did not  develop. 
Two problems became apparent.  One, most of the an t ic ipa ted  goals  could 
not  be r ea l i zed  from d e t a i l  ava i l ab le  on the  imagery and two, t he  normal 
work load did not  p e r m i t  t i m e  f o r  the  project .  
Examination of selected frames by the Mineral Resource and Areal 
Geology Sect ions of the  Survey led t o  t h e i r  use i n  severa l  ongoing pro- 
grams. 
imagery both within the  Survey a s  w e l l  a s  o the r  S t a t e  agencies. An out- 
growth was t h e  presentat ion a t  the NASA-sponsored second ERTS symposium, 
March 3-5, 1973 (First-Look Analysis of the  Geologic Ground Pa t te rns  on 
ERTS-1 Imagery of Missouri, Allen,  Martin, and Rath) and a p a p e r  pre-  
sented a t  the  American Society of Photogrammetry Remote Sensing Sympo- 
sium October 29 - November 1, 1973 (Geolopic Ground and Drainage 
Pa t te rns  from ERTS-1 Imagery of Northern Missouri, Martin, Allen,  and 
Rath). 
This r e su l t ed  i n  r a t h e r  wide i n t e r e s t  and u t i l i z a t f o n  of the  
It was rea l ized  by mid-summer, 1973, t h a t  a revised program must be 
submitted t o  NASA i f  t he  Survey was t o  continue a s  an ERTS+l invest iga-  
t o r .  This was done, accepted by NASA, and i n  September, 1973, t he  four  
aa thors  l i s t e d  replaced the  o r ig ina l  inves t iga tors .  The pr inc ipa l  aim 
of t he  modified study is a s ta tewide inventory of geologic-related 
ground pa t te rns ,  p a r t i c u l a r l y  i n  those a reas  of ac t ive  programs, and a s  
a prelude t o  our ERTS-B proposal. 
NASA-supplied da t a  have provided input  i n t o  the following: s t ruc -  
t u re ,  s t ra t igraphy,  mineral resources Pleis tocene s tud ie s ,  Precambrian 
s tud ie s ,  geomorphology, physiography, pedology, land-use inventory,  flood 
assessment, and dam inventory. 
622 
Three projects  a r e  summarized as examples of programs which u t i l i z e  
the ERTS and NASA a e r i a l  photography. These are followed by a l i s t i n g  
and b r i e f  discussion of the ground pat terns  observed on the imagery of 
southwest , southeast ,  c e n t r a l  and northwest Missouri. 
PROJECTS UTILIZING ERTS AND OTHER NASA-SUPPLIED DATA 
Dam Inventory: ERTS-1 imagery is being used i n  state-wide inven- 
tory of lakes and dams conducted by the Missouri Geological Survey f o r  
the Corps of Engineers i n  compliance with the 1972 National Dam Safety 
A c t  (PL 92-367). 
imagery t o  the 1*250,000 sca l e  topographic maps and from t h i s  scale t o  
the 7%' quadrangle map series. Magnification capab i l i t y  does not  p e r m i t  
d i r e c t  t r ans fe r r ing  from 1:1,000,000 imagery t o  7%' quadrangle maps. 
Lakes of f i v e  t o  ten surface acres  a r e  plot ted with c e r t a i n t y  and those 
a s  small a s  two t o  f i v e  ac re s  a r e  i d e n t i f i e d  with a f a i r  degree of confi-  
dence. It is estimated t h a t  t he re  are near ly  2,500 man-made lakes i n  
Missouri. 
locat ions,  approximate surface acreages, g r e a t l y  shortening the t i m e  
required and keeping the inventory cu r ren t .  
Lakes are t ransferred from the 9%" x 94'' Band 7 
The ERTS imagery is playing a major r o l e  i n  determining lake 
Forest  Inventory: L a t e  i n  1972, the Survey w a s  contacted by the 
Forestry Division of the Missouri Department of Conservation on the 
f e a s i b i l i t y  of using ERTS imagery f o r  f o r e s t  mapping. We advised and 
a s s i s t e d  them on in t e rp re t a t ion ,  provided imagery, and showed them the 
use  of diazochrome transparency material. ERTS imagery was used i n  the 
determination of f o r e s t  cover f o r  7 mil l ion ac re s  i n  northwest Missouri 
and s l i d e s  of the imagery were used by the Forestry Division a t  meetings 
with other  s t a t e  agencies t o  i l l u s t r a t e  vegetation pat terns  as r e l a t e d  
t o  urban expansion. Coniferous f o r e s t  cover can be distinguished from 
deciduous cover, but i ts  recognition i s  dependent upon the t i m e  of year 
the image was recorded. 
Flood Evaluation of the Missouri River, March-May 1973; Beginning 
March 10, 1973,flooding occurred on the M i s s i s s i p p i ,  Missouri and major 
t r i b u t a r y  streams. For 9 weeks r i v e r  l e v e l  a t  St.  Louis was above flood 
s tage and four separate  c r e s t s  were recorded. Large areas of the Missis- 
s i p p i  and Missouri River floodplains w e r e  inundated as the S t a t e  experl-  
enced i t s  longest f lood of record. When it w a s  r ea l i zed  flood period 
would be long ranging, a request w a s  made t o  NASAIGoddard fo r  U-2 or 
RB-57 coverage. On A p r i l  12, 1973, the Missouri River from Kansas City 
t o  St. Louis and the M i s s i s s i p p i  River from S t .  Louis t o  the southern 
t i p  of the S t a t e  was flown. The t h i r d  and highest  crest occurred on 
A p r i l  28th and 29th. 
i c a l  Survey underwrote a mult ispectral  low a l t i t u d e  f l i g h t  along the 
Missouri River from Boonville t o  S t .  Louis. The f l i g h t  w a s  made by the 
Kansas University Space Technology Center. 
S ix  days l a t e r  on May 4 ,  1973, the Missouri Geolog- 
623 
\ I 
624 
The Missouri River floodplain from Kansas City to St. Louis has 
been mapped to show areas flooded, areas of seep water, and major levee 
breaks. 
raphy shows the U-2 color infrared photography to be the more useful 
because of its greater areal coverage per frame and equal or better 
resolution. The larger areal coverage reduces evaluating time and 
allows for assessment of backwater along tributaries. The availability 
of this type data when needed emphasizes the importance of the NASA 
underflight program. 
Comparison of the U-2 photos with the lower altitude photog- 
FEATURES OBSERVED ON ERTS IMAGERY 
The main coverage studied is that of the southeast, east-central and 
the northwest. The geologic setting ranges from Precambrian through 
Tertiary with thick recent alluvium in the southeast; Ordovician through 
Mississippian with thin Pleistocene till cover in the east-central; and 
Pennsylvanian with thick glacial till and loess cover in the northwest. 
The figure is a compilation of the significant linear, arcuate and 
other features observed on the imagery. In the following listing, struc- 
ture names are used where the ERTS trace coincides with a known feature. 
Only the major features in each area are discussed. McCracken, 1971, is 
the principal reference to geologic structures in the State. 
Southwest Missouri: Most of the coverage for this area has been 
Bedrock in cloud-covered and only a brief examination has been made. 
the area on which ERTS traces are plotted is lower Ordovician dolomite 
and sandstone in the east and Mississippian limestone in the west. 
Linears 4 ,  5, 7, and 8 coincide with the Golden City-Miller anticline, 
the Chesapeake fault, Humansville anticline and the Decaturville crypto- 
explosive structure,respectively. The other linears parallel or appear 
to be closely related to known structures. 
Southeast Missouri: The majority of traces observed on the imagery 
of this area were described in Allen, Martin, and Rath, 1973. The prin- 
cipal mining areas, Barite District (16), Old Lead Belt (17), and the New 
Lead Belt or Viburnum Trand (16), are all quite apparent. Contrast in 
water reflectance aids in distinguishing tailings ponds from lakes. The 
major structural features that coincide with linears are the Ste. 
Genevieve fault system (22), the Big River fault (18), the Ironton fault 
(30), the Roselle lineament (23) and the Farmington Anticline (20). An 
almost E-W linear (12) appears on all coverage of the area. The trace 
roughly coincides with the postulated 38th Parallel Lineament of Hey1 
(1972) and others. 
of the 'area are the Ozark Escarpment (25), Benton Hills (26), and the 
Sikeston Ridge (28). 
weather" imagery. 
highlights the outline of the igneous core (19) of the St. Francois 
Mountains, 
Physiographic features prominent on all the coverage 
Crowley's Ridge (27) is prominent only on the "wet- 
False color IR diazochrome of wintertime coverage 
Three major soil classifications were distinguished on the 
625 
imagery of the southeast  Missouri "Bootheel", an area of t h i ck  alluvium. 
S o i l  types del ineated are sand, c l ay  loam and s i l t  loam. Separation w a s  
based mainly on drainage c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s  and the boundaries compare 
favorably with ava i l ab le  s o i l  maps. 
Central  Missouri: Three traces seen on most of the coverage of 
t h i s  area coincide i n  p a r t  with known s t r u c t u r e s  -- Lincoln fold (32), 
Mineola s t r u c t u r e  (33) and the Mexico a n t i c l i n e  (34). The Mexico and 
Minedla traces extend w e l l  beyond the known l i m i t s  of these s t ruc tu res .  
Arcuate t r aces  (38) a r e  q u i t e  prominent on imagery of t h i s  area and are 
thought t o  represent  o r  be r e l a t e d  t o  e a r l y  Pleistocene recessional  
moraines. These fea tu res  abe important t o  a b e t t e r  understanding of the 
Pleistocene h i s t o r y  i n  Missouri. Bedrock boundaries (31) are enhanced 
on the imagery by changes i n  vegetation, s o i l ,  rock types and topogra- 
phy. 
Northwest Missouri: The g rea t e r  pa r t  of northern Missouri is 
blanketed'by g l a c i a l  d r i f t  ranging upwards t o  400 f e e t .  Bedrock expo- 
sures  a r p  q u i t e  l imited.  I n  addi t ion t o  the present drainage system 
developed mostly on d r i f t ,  t he re  i s  a buried system developed e n t i r e l y  
on bedrock and f i l l e d  with sand, gravel and till. Stream pat terns  i n  
t h i s  p a r t  o f  the S t a t e  were r a the r  i n d i s t i n c t  on the  e a r l y  coverage. 
However, imagery made las t  spr ing and e a r l y  summer, a period of heavy 
r a i n f q l l ,  was qu i t e  s t r i k i n g  i n  t h a t  i t  gave the regional drainage an 
ove ra l l  "chain-of-lakes" (40) appearance. 
Wide floodplains are present where streams flow on d r i f t ;  narrow 
segments @re where flow i s  across bedrock highs r e su l t i ng  from thinning 
of d r i f t ,  topographic highs on the bedrock .surface, and regional  s t ruc -  
t u r e ,  "Moisture-damingi' takes  place a t  these cons t r i c t ions .  S o i l  mois- 
t u re  accentuates the wide portions of the f loodplain and appears t o  
increase where the two drainage systems are superimposed. 
Alphouge g l a c i a l  d r i f t  ranges upwards t o  several  hundred f e e t  i n  
t h i s  a r ea ,  a f a i n t  l i n e a r  t r a c e  (39) on the imagery coincides with one 
of the known a n t i c l i n a l  s t ruc tu res .  
CONCLUSION 
1. The v a r i e t y  of ERTS traces t h a t  coincide with known geologic fea- 
t u re s  ee t ab l i shes  the posi t ion of s a t e l l i t e  imagery a s  a major 
reFoqnaissance too l .  
2. Iden t i f j cq t ion  of ground pat terns  i n  a known s e t t i n g  is an impor- 
t a n t  a id  i n  the analysis  of an unmapped area. 
3 .  The r e p e t i t i v e  coverage and wide synoptic view provided by the 
i w g e r y  a r e  i n  themselves major enhancement f ea tu res .  
coverage w a s  found t o  be a must f o r  most geologic evaluations.  
Repet i t ive 
626 
4. The number of geologic features identified on imagery of a mid- 
western set t ing shows i t s  use i n  geologic studies i s  not limited 
to  mountainous, arid,  or barren shield terrain.  
5. The use  of s a t e l l i t e  and high al t i tude imagery and photography 
provided by the NASA ERTS-1 program is being ut i l ized by several 
state agencies and a Governor’s committee is  presently working t o  
familiarize s fa te  government with the potential application of 
remote sensing data. 
REFERENCES 
Allen, William H., Martin, James A. and Rath, David L., 1973, Firs t -  
& symposium on significant resul ts  obtained from the 
look analysis of geologic ground patterns on ERTS-1 imagery of 
Missouri: 
earth resources technology satel l i te-1,  v. I: Technical Presenta- 
tions Section A ,  NASA/Scientific and Technical Information Office, 
Washington, D. C. 
Heyl, Allen V . ,  1972, The 38th parallel  lineament and i ts  relationship 
t o  ore deposits: Econ. Geology, v. 67, p.  879-894. 
Martin, James A.,  Allen, W i l l i a m  H. and Rath, David L. ,  1973, Geologic 
ground and drainage patterns from ERTS-1 imagery of northern M i s -  
souri: & Symposium proceedings on management and ut i l izat ion of 
remote sensing data, American Society of Photogrammetry, Falls 
Church, Virginia. 
McCracken, Mary H., 1971, Structural features of Missouri: Mo. Geol. 
Survey Rept. Inv. 49. 
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Summary of an integrated ERTS-1 project and its results at the Missouri Geological Survey

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