The largest contour strip mining operations in western Maryland and West Virginia are located within the Georges Creek and the Upper Potomac Basins. These two coal basins lie within the Georges Creek (Wellersburg) syncline. The disturbed strip mine areas were delineated with the surrounding geological and vegetation features using ERTS-1 data in both analog (imagery) and digital form. The two digital systems used were:  (1) the ERTS-Analysis system, a point-by-point digital analysis of spectral signatures based on known spectral values, and (2) the LARS Automatic Data Processing System. The digital techniques being developed will later be incorporated into a data base for land use planning. These two systems aided in efforts to determine the extent and state of strip mining in this region. Aircraft data, ground verification information, and geological field studies also aided in the application of ERTS-1 imagery to perform an integrated analysis that assessed the adverse effects of strip mining. The results indicated that ERTS can both monitor and map the extent of strip mining to determine immediately the acreage affected and indicate where future reclamation and revegetation may be necessary

Anderson, A. T.

Schubert, J.

English

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A DEMONSTRATION OF ERTS-I
ANALOG AND DIGITAL TECHNIQUES
APPLIIED TO STRIP MINING IN^
MARYLAND AND WIST VIRGINIA
(NAS1-TM-X-7C798) A DEMONSTRATION OP EBTS-1 N75-15133
ANALOG AND DIGITAL TECHNIQUES APPLIED TO
STHIP MINING IN MARYLAND AND WEST VIBGIHIA
(NASA) 19 p HC $3.25 CSCL 081 Unclas
v G3/43 069^ 7
^ ARTHUR T:^AN])ERS6lsl ""';
iY
' JANE SCHUBERT
Reproduced by .
^ NATIONAL TECHNICAL <
A INFORMATION SERVICE :.
^i US Dopartment ol Commerce / "
Sprinslield, VA. 22151
NOVEMBER 1974
WES SU8JEQ
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
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X-923-74-313
Preprint
A DEMONSTRATION OF ERTS-1
ANALOG AND DIGITAL TECHNIQUES
APPLIED TO STRIP MINING IN
MARYLAND AND WEST VIRGINIA
Arthur T. Anderson
Jane Schubert
November 1974
GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER
Greenbelt, Maryland
To be submitted in Photogrammetric Engineering.
A DEMONSTRATION OF ERTS-1 ANALOG AND DIGITAL TECHNIQUES
APPLIED TO STRIP MINING IN MARYLAND AND WEST VIRGINIA
Arthur T. Anderson
and
Jane Schubert
ABSTRACT
The largest contour strip mining operations in western
Maryland and West Virginia are located within the Georges
Creek and the Upper Potomac Basins. These two coal
basins lie within the Georges Creek (Wellersburg) syncline.
The disturbed strip mine areas were delineated with the
surrounding geological and vegetation features using ERTS-1
data in both analog (imagery) and digital form. The two digi-
tal systems used were: (1) the ERTS-Analysis system, a
point-by-point digital analysis of spectral signatures based
on known spectral values, and (2) the LARS Automatic Data
Processing System. The digital techniques being developed
will later be incorporated into a data base for land use plan-
ning. These two systems aided in efforts to determine the
extent and state of strip mining in this region. Aircraft
data, ground verification information, and geological field
studies also aided in the application of ERTS-1 imagery to
perform an integrated analysis that assessed the adverse
effects of strip mining. The results indicated that ERTS
can both monitor and map the extent of strip mining to
determine immediately the acreage affected and indicate
where future reclamation and revegetation may be neces-
sary.
Preceding page blank
iii
CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION 1
STUDY AREA 2
METHOD 2
DISCUSSION 7
CONCLUSION 12
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 14
BIBLIOGRAPHY 15
Preceding page blank
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
1 Outline of the Georges Creek and Upper Potomac 3
Basin study area encompassing parts of western
Maryland and West Virginia
2 Geologic interpretation from ERTS-1 MSS band 7
imagery from September 7, 1972. Strip mine
areas, noted by dark contour lines in the central
area, lie within the Monongahela-Pottsville groups 5
3 Five sample areas chosen for LARSYS2 clustering analysis
and classification, representative of the study area 3
4 ERTS-Analysis output and U-2 photography which were
verified in the field 9
5 Tabulation of results in the study area and a sample
output transparency registered to topographic base
for quantitative studies 10
6 LARSYS2 clustering output, showing the outline and delineation of
the strip mine areas and 12 cluster areas, for sample areas
2 and 5 from Figure 3 11
7 LARSYS2 classification output sample, verified with aircraft
and field studies, delineating the strip mines (C) and bare
soil (reclaimed area) which is open 13
TABLES
Table
1
Page
ERTS MSS Signature Analysis for International Biological
Programme (IBP) Vegetation Classes
vi
A DEMONSTRATION OF ERTS-1
ANALOG AND DIGITAL TECHNIQUES
APPLIED TO STRIP MINING IN
MARYLAND AND WEST VIRGINIA
INTRODUCTION
The effective exploitation of mineral resources involves a compromise between
the need for the resource and the effects of despoliation on the land caused by
strip mining. For example, coal mining is extremely profitable, and the pro-
duct is a needed energy source; but, its effects can be devastating. This point
was best summarized by Jane Stein (1973). With the improved mechanical
methods of strip mining, coal is easily available and the percentage of affected
areas is increasing throughout the United States. At this time, 14 states are
affected by strip mining. Emphasis on the discovery of additional deposits has
increased due to the current energy crisis. Newspapers and magazine articles
have predicted finds of 1400 trillion kg (1. 5 trillion tons) of coal within 1800 m
(6000 ft) of the surface. Perhaps more practical is the estimate of 90 trillion
kg (100 billion tons) of coal in seams 6 to 76 m (20 to 250 ft) below the surface
that can quickly be recovered through strip mining techniques. Such possi-
bilities are being investigated with the new discoveries of significant amounts
of coal such as in Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota where an area covering
over 8 percent of this tristate region (about half the size of Rhode Island) has
been found to contain coal. However, the abundance of coal and the need for
the resource are impacted by national and state regulations to limit the yearly
output of coal for ecological reasons: a conflict facing many areas of the
nation today.
Looking at this situation in terms of smaller, local, and immediate problems,
the area of western Maryland and West Virginia within the Potomac River Basin
was studied using the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) imagery
and digital data. The principal purpose of this experimental study was to
demonstrate the utility and application of ERTS-1 data in an integrated analysis,
to both map and monitor strip mining, and to develop the needed methods and
techniques to provide a data base for future land use planning. For example,
Georges Creek Basin and the Upper Potomac Basin in Garrett and Allegany
counties of western Maryland were examined using both an analog technique
(photographic interpretation) and digital analysis. This area is now producing
over 90 percent of the 1.45 billion kg (1.6 million tons) of coal mined each year
in Maryland. These two counties are comprised of 3,044.76 km^ (721,376
acres). Using aircraft photographs of these same counties, 25.16 km^ (6216
acres) were categorized as extractive (strip mines) according to the land use
classification of 1973 by the State Planning Commission. *
*Thomas, E., etal., private communication, 1973.
STUDY AREA
The strip mine study area is outlined on a 1:250,000 scale map (Figure 1). The
area in western Maryland borders the Garrett/Allegany county boundary from
Frostburg and extends southward, paralleling Georges Creek and North Branch
main-stream-head waters of the Potomac, and ends in Steyer, Maryland. This
area is within the great Appalachian coal region which extends from Pennsyl-
vania to Alabama. Physiographic ally, the Maryland area encompasses the
Georges Creek Basin to the north and Upper Potomac Basin to the south divided
by the right-angle bend of the Potomac. These two divisions are purely artificial
and together constitute a single structural unit of the Georges Creek (Wellers-
burg) syncline.
The overall area is a gentle elongated shallow syncline which trends northeast-
southwest between Dan's Mountain and the Allegheny front on the east and both
Big Savage and Backbone Mountains to the west. The mountain ranges form
the flanks of the gently dipping syncline within the eastern border region of the
Allegheny Plateau and contain geologic formulations of Permian and Pennsylvan-
ian age. Located here are the only coal bearing seams in Maryland. The forma-
tions are the Dunkard, Monongahela, Conemaugh, Allegheny, and Pottsville
groups. Although these formations are approximately 518 m (1700 ft) thick,
about 18.9 m (62 ft) contain usable coal in seams ranging from 0.3 to 4.3 m
(1 to 14 ft) in thickness. Specifically, the major coal seams in this area are
the Pittsburg, Barton, Franklin, and Sewickley seams.
METHOD
During the preliminary examination of strip mine regions, the first step in this
study was to demonstrate the utility and application of the ERTS output for a
multilevel analysis of immediate problem areas and for future planning of land
use management. With this in mind, it was determined that the use of map-
related data, imagery, geologic analysis, and computer processing techniques
would provide a more accurate and complete assessment of strip mines for
both a total acreage figure and for determining active, inactive, or reclaimed
mining areas. It should be noted that strip mines go through various stages
of development and reclamation in a period of three months to one year and
that some inferences (with the assistance of the Maryland Geological Survey)
had to be made in projecting backward in time to determine the approximate
stage of development in larger mines. In this context, the study used the
September 7, 1972 (1046-15301), ERTS imagery. This imagery provided the
best delineation of the strip mines.
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Preceding page blank
Table 1
ERTS MSS Signature Analysis for International
Biological Programme (IBP) Vegetation Classes
(from Schubert and MacLeod, 1973)
Corrected
Digital
Tape Values
0 - 3
» 4-6
a
<D
S
0)
7 ino! ' - 1UQJ
<u
03
-4-i
o
tf 11-14
|
r- 1
iH
15 - 21
i
00
t-
| 2 2 - 2 6
27 - 36
MSS 5 (0. 6 fim to 0. 7 p.m) Reflectance Measurements
55 34 - 50 15 - 34 15
No
Vegetation
Water ( • )
Sand-flat in
or near water
Sand-flat in
or near water
(-)
Bare soil (open
or sand
O
Bare soil (open)
or sand
0
Bare soil (open)
or sand
O
White beach or
desert sand
(-)
Sparse
Vegetation
(IBP Class 3)
Water ( . )
Scrub over
sand
IBP-3B
(:)
Scrub over
sand
IBP-3B
(0
Herbs, grasses
over sand
IBP-3C
(+)
Herbs, grasses
over sand
IBP-3C
(+)
Open
Vegetation
(IBP Class 2)
Water ( . )
Scrub
IBP-2B
Scrub
IBP-2B
(;)
Steppe
(herbs and
grasses)
IBP-2G
(#)
Steppe
(herbs and
grasses)
IBP-2G
(#)
Closed
Vegetation
(IBP Class 1)
Water ( . )
Organic
mud-flat
Seasonal short
grass (orthophyll
marsh)
IBP-1M2-2
(M)
Evergreen forest
(narrow sclero-
phyll) IBP-1A1
(E)
Scrub
IBP-1B
(B)
Seasonal grasses
IBP-1L2 and 1M2
(G)
Deciduous forest
IBP-1A2
(D)
the five sample image enlargement areas chosen from the area of study.
These five areas shown in Figure 3 were checked and verified in the field, and
the 12 different spectral signatures were identified. Finally, a multispectral
classification of bands 5 and 7 based on the identified classes was completed,
using pattern recognition techniques developed at LARS.
DISCUSSION
The ERTS assessment of the areas affected by strip mining was performed in
a two-part analysis through the use of manual image interpretation techniques
and the ERTS-Analysis and LARS computer systems using the CCTs. First,
it was found that in using manual techniques with ERTS imagery enlarged to
1:125,000 scale, there were limitations due to scale and, consequently, only
the boundaries of the geologic formations could be defined in relation to the
specific strip mines under investigation. No attempt was made to extract
the total acreage of strip mines. These areas are too small in scale to show
the desired detail with ERTS-1 imagery; they were no more than 80 to 300 m
(260 to 1000 ft) across. This technique was not accurate enough for the pur-
poses of this study to quantify the entire affected areas by planimetry means,
the features being too small. The use of the ERTS computer-compatible tapes
with both the ERTS-Analysis and LARSYS2 systems provided more reliable
answers in the detection and inventory of strip mines. The results of the ERTS-
Analysis output can be seen in Figure 4. Results from the computer output were
correlated with the U-2 photograph; there was excellent size agreement with
the printout. The U-2 photograph was then verified in the field.
Figure 5 presents a compilation of the final results from the ERTS-Analysis
technique in identifying strip mine areas in the two basins using this program
and shows a sample output registered to a topographic map. This sample out-
put includes the Franklin Hill area which lies northwest of Westernport and
outlines the local strip mines. The analysis, computer time, and statistical
listing, compiled in approximately 8 hours, identified 140 strip mines totaling
12. 58 km2 (3109 acres) of disturbed land within the two basins and the adjoining
area. The stripped, soil covered, and high wall boundaries could be delineated
on the output. The table in Figure 6 also shows the size, number, and percent-
age of strip mines in the study area, and it should be noted that the majority of
the mines are less than 0. 089 km2 (22 acres) in size. In addition, the ERTS-
Analysis computer output in transparency form registered to the topographic
base at 1:24, 000 (Figure 5) has already proved to be extremely useful to rec-
lamation studies as a rapid method to show the overall extent of the acreage
affected at one specific time, according to James Coffroth of the Maryland
Geological Survey (private communication, 1973).
" I I
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H *
:
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ft 4 I- 3.2 km . I
-1m 2.0 mi
. . Wi JT |>T , _ i^^ __^
Figure 3. Five sample areas chosen for LARSYS2 clustering analysis and
classification, representative of the study area.
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1.0km
AREA 2 AM) S CLUSTER ANALYSIS
CUJSTE» SYMBOL 1DEOT1F1CATIOM I TOIOTS
0.6 mi
f
(OPEN)
10
11
12
Mluini Data
Bar* Soil
Afrlcultur*
Agriculture
Low Trees
Hlfh Tr»«5
High Dense Tr*«s
Hifh D«n» Tr.ei
Crast/Spoll
Strip Mines
Low Dense Trees
fan
229
220
551
1099
2366
1978
1319
!07
6«9
620
323
Figure 6. LARSYS2 clustering output, showing the outline and delineation of the
strip mine areas and 12 cluster areas, for sample areas 2 and 5 from Figure 3.
11
The LARSYS2 multispectral clustering and classification system proved to be
very reliable in detecting and identifying various ground surface conditions
and ground cover of the existing strip mines and vegetation in the study area.
The various spectral classes identified in Figures 6 and 7 provide important
land use information for future planning and for incorporation into a useful
data base. As seen in Figure 6, the 12 clusters of vegetation density and soil
cover can be extrapolated spectrally as depicted in the outlined clustered
areas. The sampled areas in Figure 3, areas 2 and 5, outline that area shown
in Figure 6. This output from LARSYS2 subdivides the 2.86 km2 (707 acres)
(620 pixels) of strip mines (M) in the area (Figure 6). In addition, the classi-
fication in Figure 7 resulting from the clustering analysis correlates with the
detailed strip mine state topographic map of the previous ERTS-Analysis out-
put. The results of this classification depict the stripped areas (C in Figure 7)
and the soil cover overlying the backfilled spoils (open regions in Figure 7).
The analysis of the digital data, compared to manual techniques, proved most
advantageous in the evaluation of the strip mines. As determined from the
computer analyses, the reclaimed areas which were grassed over within a
period of two years or less are somewhat difficult to distinguish from the re-
cently recovered and seeded grass regions. This was due mainly to two fac-
tors: the spoil material in the reclaimed areas contain a high degree of car-
bonaceous content mixed into the original soil cover, and the grass was not
dense enough to change the spectral response. Digital computer analyses
of affected strip mining areas can be quantitatively examined by applying the
advantages of both systems, ERTS-Analysis and LARSYS2. These data re-
duction and interpretation techniques will provide an added tool and rapid
means of strip mine" assessment.
CONCLUSION
The use of the ERTS-1 data has been shown to provide an immediate application
in detecting, mapping, and inventorying the effects of strip mining in the Upper
Potomac and Georges Creek Basins of Maryland and West Virginia. These
data will provide the states with a better means of detecting and monitoring
future reclamation projects. With the increased needs for fuel, it is estimated
that the 1.45 billion kg (1.6 million tons) of annual coal production in Maryland
will increase by 10 percent or more in 1974. Through use of the described
methods, this increase in strip mining can be monitored throughout the dis-
turbed regions. Also, at the same time, the progress of backfilled, planted,
and reclaimed acreage throughout the state can be monitored, which will
result in a minimum of ecological impact.
12
1.5km
0.9 mi
Figure 7. LARSYS2 classification output sample, verified with aircraft
and field studies, delineating the strip mines (C) and bare soil reclaimed
area) which is open.
13
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to express their appreciation to those who assisted and
offered suggestions during the preparation of this paper; in particular, Dennis
McFadden, Mike Hoffman, Nick Karlow, James Coffroth, and Dr. Hasan
Al-Abbas were most helpful.
14
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Jokes, Harold E., "Geography and Geology of Maryland," Maryland Geological
Survey, Bulletin #19, 1968, (Revised) pp. 105-111.
Josephy, Alvin M., Jr., "Plundered West: Coal is the Prize, " Washington
Post, August 26, 1973, pp. C-l, 6.
Maryland Bureau of Mines, "Strip Mining Laws of the State of Maryland,"
Bureau of Mines Publication, 1971, pp. 1-10.
Schubert, J. S., and MacLeod, N.H., "ERTS-Analysis, A Remotely Accessed
Computer System for Analysis of ERTS Data," NASA Contract Report NAS5-
21892, June 1973, p. 29.
Stein, Jane, "Coal is Cheap, Hated, Abundant, Filthy, Needed," Smithsonian
Magazine, Vol. 3, No. 11, 1973, pp. 19-26.
Toenges, Albert L., et al., "Investigation of Lower Coal Beds in Georges
Creek and North Part of Upper Potomac Basin, Allegany and Garrett Counties,
Md.,M U.S. D.I. Technical Paper 725, 1949, pp. 1-28.
15


A demonstration of ERTS-1 analog and digital techniques applied to strip mining in Maryland and West Virginia

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