The author has identified the following significant results. Approximately 400 miles of low altitude scanner data of good quality was acquired over the Powder River Basin between 13-16 Oct. 1978. Radiometric and meteorological data from three ground stations were also acquired in support of low altitude U.S.G.S. overflights

Miller, S. H.

Offield, T. W.

Watson, K.

English

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Geologic Application of
^,!,-\v, thermal, inertia mapping from satellite
Type II Progesss Report
September-December 1978
Prepared for:
Goddard Space Flight Center 	 ^4
Greenbelt, Maryland 20771
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JE79-10081) GEOLOGIC APPLICATION OF
	 N79-15360THERMAL-INERTIA MAPPING FROM SATELLITE
	 ^.Y
Progress Report, 1 Sep.
	 31 Nov. 1978
jGeoiogical Survey) 9 p HC A02 /MF A0l
	 pnclas
CSCL 08'B G3/43 00081
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Submitted by:
Terry W. Offield
Principal Investigator
U.S. Geological Survey
Denver Federal Center; Ms 91.6
Denver, CO 80225
Prepared. by:
Susanne H. Miller and Kenneth Watson
U.S. Geological Survey
Denver, CO 80225
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A. Problems
The major problem is lack of adequate U2 and ME data. We have
received predawn thermal U2 data over our Arizona site; however, Goddard
is notable to process the corresponding_ daytime data. The HCMR malfunctioned
on the U2 flights over our Wyoming site last August and had not been
repaired in time for our field mission _there in October. Therefore, we
have no U2 data to work with from either site.
HCMM screening prints and transparencies have been received for four
different days -two covering each site. On both sets of Wyoming data,
clouds were present over most the site, and the data are not acceptable
for thermal-inertia mapping. We have received good daytime visible data
(CCT) over the Arizona site but the companion thermal data were garbled.
Also received was a day visible transparency over Arizona of good quality.
B. Accomplishments	 z
Approximately 400 miles of low altitude scanner data were acquired
over the Powder River Basin between October 13-16. The areas covered
were identical to those acquired last July. The Basin was reflown because
the July data had noise problems and marginal weather conditions. The
noise problems had been identified and corrected for the October flying.
The weather conditons in October were ideal - clear and stable - for
our aircraft flying; however, mostly cloudy conditions existed for the
two HMI overpasses bounding either side of our data acquisition days.
The screening film from our RS-14 scanner indicates good'data were
acquired on all our aircraft flights.-
Ara additional experiment to the normal data acquisitions was
devised for looking at the sky radiance with the aircraft scanner on the
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ground. An optical arrangement was designed to measure the radiation
sky flux in the 7.9 to 12.5 pm region before and after every flight.
These data will provide information on the magnitude and diurnal
variation of sky radiation to make an emissivity correction.
The ground stations established in July were re-established for our
October mission.	 Prior to the mission several days of July data from all
three stations were examined.	 This data set indicated that information
from the three stations correlated very closely and, therefore, could be
considered as representative of the regional meteorological and
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radiometric conditions.	 The data acquired at the ground stations in
October appear to be of good quality.
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All of the meteorological and radiometric data from, the July mission
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en 	r.	 i 	 data have b een	 n sited	 t}'ia'v •	 ^tL  digitized.	 The rad iometric ^ ^ ha... b_ _  ^.--^__-- in o the
computer and screening plots have been made. 	 The meteorological data are
ready for plotting. 	 This July data set will be published as a U.S.G.S.
open file report.
Good quality analog film, prints have been made of the the thermal
images from the Wyoming mission. 	 These are now being closely examined to
determine which scenes will be processed for thermal-intertia mapping.
Watson's linear Fourier series thermal model was extensively revised
to a standardized Fortran format. 	 The mode]_. will. be made available to
other users as an NTIS report.
The objectives planned for the next quarter include reducing the
ground station data and preparation of special product images. 	 The July
and October data setts wi11_ both be processed as open file reports.
Selected- data from the October mission will be processed to produce
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thermal-inertia and heat-flux images.
	 As suitable HCMM products are made
available, they will be included with this analysis.
C.	 Significant Results
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The significant results from this reporting period are:
• Acquired approximately 400 miles of low altitude scanner data of
good quality over the Powder River Basin between October 13-16, 1978.
Acquired radeometiric and meteorological data from three ground
stations in support of low altitude U.S.G.S. overflights.'4
For details of these results, see the accomplishments section. r
D.	 Publications and Presentations
A comprehensive summary was submitted for the geology and mineral
resources poster session at the Thirteenth International Symposium on
Remote Sensing of Environment.
	 The summary is titled "The use of thermal
data to extend geologic reconnaissance from satellites" by Susanne H.
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Miller and Kenneth Watson.
	 A copy of the summary is submitted with this
report.
E.	 Recommendations
As of this date we have not received > , sable thermal CCT's (day or
nite)of either of our two sites.
	 We therefore recommend that at least
E	 film products of all thermal data of our sites be made available xapoly
in order to plan the remainder of our investigation.
F.	 Funds Expended
Total expenditures to date:
	 $60,180
G.	 Data Utill-.Iy
`	 No usable U2 data have been received.
	 Most of the_IiCMM data
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received has been cloud-covered and not suitable for analysis. No
CCT's have been received of our test areas which contain thermal data.
See problem section.
H.. Errata
On page 3 of the June-August quarterly report, it was erroneously
stated that "the proportional fit will be satisfactory where low thermal-
inertia'differences are present." This should read "...where high
thermal-inertia differences are present."
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IThe use of thermal data to extend geologic
reconnaissance from satellites
by
Susanne H. Miller and Kenneth Watson
U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25046, Denver Federal Center,
Denver, CO 80225
Comprehensive Summary	
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Landsat multispectral data have become useful reconnaissance tools
in mineral and energy resource evaluations and environmental studies.
Now, the Heat Capacity Mapping Mission (HCMM) satellite has made thermal
raw
infrared information available to improve and extend these surveys. The
purpose of our HCMM study is to develop and evaluate the use of thermal-
inertia and heat-flux mapping techri ques in areas of known and potential
mineral and energy resources.
The two study areas selected were the Powder River Basin and environs
in eastern Wyoming and the Cabeza Prieta Range in southwest Arizona. The
Powder River Basin is the site of major uranium and petroleum exploration,
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and the Cabeza Prieta area is currentlyundergoing mineral resource
appraisal. The specific geologic problems we proposed to examine were
detection of mineralization, underground coal fires and the surface
expressions of sedimentary facies changes using thermal-inertia and
heat-flux mapping_ techniques	 The resulting image products should permit
extrapolation from known areasto large regions that are less well
explored.
In addition.to the HCMMand Landsat satellite data, U.S. Geological
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Survey multispectral aircraft data have been acquired from critical areas
over both sites, and ground calibration data were gathered from three
widely spaced stations in the Powder River Basin to characterize the
regional meteorological and radiometric conditions. These data were
necessary to calibrate the aircraft thermal-inertia and heat-flux images,
and to evaluate the validity of extrapolations to the regional satellite
information. Other data available to correlate with the thermal-inertia
products included: (1) a sand/shale ratio map of the southern part of
the Powder River Basin measured from hundreds of exploration drill-hole
geophysical logs, (2) Landsat multispectral images of the Basin, specially 4
processed to display vegetation density variations that reflect differences
in the underlying sedimentary facies, and (3) multichannel gamma ray
data of the eastern part of the Basin.
An important part of our investigation is a thermal-inertia model 	 a
development and evaluation study. Thermal-inertia values can be
determined on site by measuring the diurnal variation of surface
temperature in response to the known driving functions of the solar
and atmospheric fluxes. Because thermal data from satellite and
aircraft are required only at discrete times in the diurnal cycle, a
mathematical model is needed to relate the measurements to thermal
inertia and to determine appropriate observation times. Our model assumed
that the fluxes which determine the surface temperature are solar,
atmospheric, ground emission, and ground conductive. In addition, the
model was modified to include effects due to transient fluxes such as
changing atmospheric conditions and implosive heating and cooling.
Techniques for correcting topography were investigated as well as
determining albedo from the single broadband Heat Capacity Mapping
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Radiometer (HCMR) channel and from multiband measurements from
aircraft and Landsat.
The application and limitations of using satellite and aircraft
remotely sensed data for geologic reconnaissance were the subject of
our investigation. The inclusion of a thermal channel on satellite
payloads should also permit upgrading of some existing geologic maps,
particularly in remote or poorly accessible parts of the world. As
the resolutions of satellite scanners improve, small-scale thermal-
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inertia mapping will become a more valuable tool in mineral and energy
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resource evaluation.
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Geologic application of thermal-inertia mapping from satellite

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