| Mapping the potential iron deposits of El-Bahariya Depression, Western Desert, Egypt, using remote sensing data analysis |
| Paper ID : 1021-ICRSSSA-FULL |
| Authors |
|
safaa Mohamed Hassan *1, Mohamed Fouad Sadek2 1NARSS 2Narss |
| Abstract |
| Iron is one of the essential raw materials required for the ongoing industrial evolution. Sustainable supply of such metal requires exploration for additional ore reserves. El-Bahariya depression, is well known for its iron ore deposits. The mineralization has been recorded in five well know locations. In this manuscript, ASTER and Landsat-9 remote sensing data are used for the lithological mapping and iron ore detection mainly around four locations namely: Nasser, Gabal-Ghurabi, El-Gadidah, and El-Harrah. Image processing methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and band ratios images were used in the lithological mapping process. Minimum Noise Fraction(MNF), Mixture Tuned Matched Filtering(MTMF), pixel purity index methods and Spectral Ange Mapper classifier algorithm have been successfully discriminated the hematite and limonite contents within the iron rich zones in the study area. Results from such ASTER data comparison were consistent in terms of the presence of absorption features at range from 1.95 to 2.3 μm for hematite and limonite respectively. Pixel purity index algorithm and two sub-pixel spectral methods namely Mixture Tuned Matched Filtering (MTMF) method is applied to ASTER bands to delineate iron oxides of hematite and limonite rich zones within the rock units. The developed image spectra of the anomalous zones are extracted and compared with the USGS resampled laboratory spectra of hematite and limonite samples using hyperspectral data of ASD. The interpreted results showed the distribution of the ferruginous sandstones and iron rich zones with hematite and limonite along with detection of new high potential zones for iron mineralization. |
| Keywords |
| Remote sensing, Lithological mapping, Iron exploration, El-Bahariya, Western Desert. |
| Status: Accepted (Oral Presentation) |
