Delineation of ground water potential zones in a hard rock terrain of Mysore district, Karnataka using IRS data and GIS techniques

In the present study, the ground water prospect of Mysore district has been delineated using remotely sensing data, base map of GSI, ground truth data, and geographic information system. Based on these integrated studies, it has been noticed that the lithology of the area mainly represents by amphibolite schists, hornblende-biotite gneiss, chamockite, quartzite and granite belonging to Archean to Lower Proterozoic. Resent alluvial deposits mainly occur as valley fills. Major lineaments are mainly confined to valley regions. Structurally the erosional and depositional landforms are occurring as hills, ridges, weathered pediments, weathered pediplains and valley fills. Geonaorphology, lineaments, drainage density, type of lithology and surface water bodies are directly influencing the ground water conditions and it is very good iu valley regions and in remaining area, it is moderate to poor.     

Hydromorphogeological mapping of Panwari area,Hamirpur district,Uttar Pradesh using satellite data

The area around Panwari town, Hamirpur district, Uttar Pradesh, faces acute water scarcity and chronically drought prone. The groundwater resources in the area have not been fully exploited. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the groundwater prospective zones. Landsat TM and IRS-1A LISS-II data have been used to differentiate different hydromorphogeological units and to delineate the major trends of lineaments. The digitally enhanced False Colour Composite, Principal Component Analysis and Edge Detections were useful for better correlation. The digital enhancement was helpful with identification of faint lineaments. In addition, the boundaries of various lands forms were better discriminable on the digitally enhanced products. The deeply and moderately weathered buried pediplains are the most potential zones for groundwater targeting. Occurrence of lineaments in such zones is also a favourable indicator. A number of promising groundwater well sites have been located in the pediplains.     

Hydromorphogeological studies around Pinjaur-Morni-Kala Amb area,Ambala district (Haryana), and Sirmur district (Himachal Pradesh)

Parts of Indogangetic alluvial plain and southern part of Simla-Himalayas were studied to evaluate the ground water potential zones through hydromorphogeological mapping using various remotely sensed data. Black and white panchromatic aerial photographs were mainly used to differentiate different lithounits whereas MSS and TM FCC were used to delineate the major trends of lineaments. IRS LISS-II CCT was used for digitally generating enhanced False Colour Composite, Principal Component and Filtered products for better correlative studies. Different rocks of Subathu and Siwalik groups form the structural hills of high to low relief which are mainly runoff zones. The alluvial fan forming piedmont zone has been further subdivided into upper and lower piedmont zones. In order to ascertain ground water movement and occurrence, the infiltration and discharge zones were established. Other local potential discharge zones were also considered. Ground water occurs under semi-confined to confined conditions and good prospects of potable water are present in the area.     

Analysis of fractures inferred from DBTM and remotely sensed data for groundwater development in godavari sub-watershed, Giridih, Bihar

Godavari sub-watershed is a part of buried pediplain developed over ‘Chotanagpur’ granite gneiss. Aquifer is unconfined in nature and groundwater occurs under water table condition. In the study area, groundwater is being exploited only through dugwells which are not capable of sustaining long duration pumping. Groundwater exploration involves the investigation of depth and nature of weathered and fractured horizon. To understand the groundwater storage and retrieval in the area, the basement topography derived from Digital Basement Topography Modelling (DBTM), the lineaments identified on remotely sensed data and geohydrological and physiographic data have been analysed. From DBTM, fracture zones have also been inferred. Lineaments (probable fractures) identified with the help of remotely sensed data are linear features representated on a planner surface. Lineaments in the area are subtle in expression due to deeply buried pediplian. Correlation of lineaments with DBTM reveals that a few lineaments/fractures are deep seated and a few have no sub-surface extensions. Also some sub-surface fractures inferred from DBTM have no expressions on the image. Attempt has been made to delineate more authentic lineaments/fractures with the help of remotely sensed data and DBTM. Correlation of probable fractures inferred from remotely sensed data and fracture zones inferred from DBTM indicated that 40 per cent of lineaments seems to be real fractures. Higher correlation may be achieved where lineaments are prominent and reproducible. It has also been observed that those lineaments which correlate with the fracture zones inferred from DBTM, are also not completely traceable in their linear extent. The exaggeration in length of lineaments may be due to subtle nature of lineaments. Correlation shows that remotely sensed lineaments are improtant for groundwater exploration and its authenticity can be further ascertained with DBTM.     

Evaluation of groundwater potential zones in the sub-watersheds of north pennar river basin around Pavagada, Karnataka, India using remote sensing and GIS techniques

The study area is one of the watersheds of North Pennar basin, covering an area of 570 km² in Pavagada taluk of Tumkur district. The watershed has been subdivided into nine sub-watersheds namely Dalavayihalli, Maddalenahalli, Talamaradahalli, Puluvalli tank, Nagalamadike, Gowdatimmanahalli, Naliganahalli, Devadabetta and Byadanur. These nine sub-watersheds have been evaluated to delineate groundwater potential zones based on the characteristics of geomorphic units together with slope, geology, lineaments, borewell data using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. Slope varies from nearly level (0–1%) to very steep (>35%). The different geomorphic units in each sub-watershed consist of denudational hills, residual hills, inselbergs, pediment inselberg complex, pediments, shallow weathered pediplains, moderately weathered pediplains and valley fills. The lineament map for each sub-watershed has been prepared and the trends were analysed with rose diagrams. The analysis of borewell locations and their yield data in association with lineaments at subwatersheds level reveals that the lineaments are acting as a pathway for groundwater movement. The integrated map comprising groundwater potential zones prepared by “Union” function using GIS indicate that valley fills and moderately weathered pediplains are very good to good, shallow weathered pediplains are good to moderate, pediment inselberg complex and pediments are moderate to poor and denudational hills, residual hills and inselbergs are poor to very poor groundwater prospect zones.     

Evaluation of Ground Water Potential Zones Using Remote Sensing Data -A Case Study of Gaimukh Watershed, Bhandara District, Maharashtra

In the present study efforts have been made to evaluate ground water potential zones for ground water targeting using IRS-IC LISS-II1 geo-coded data on 1:50,000 scale. The drainage, geology, geomorpholgoy and lineament information has been generated and integrated to evaluate hydro-geomorphological characteristics of the Gairnukh watershed, Bhandara district, Maharashtra for delineation of ground water potential zones. The analysis reveals that the deep valley fills with thick alluvium have excellent, shallow valley tills and deeply weathered pediplains with thin alluvium have very good and moderately weathered pediplains in the geological formations of Tirodi Gneiss and Sausar Groups have god ground water potential and these units are highly favourable for ground water exploration and development. Shallow weathered pediments in geological formations of Tirodi Gnesis and Sausar Groups are marked under moderate ground water potential zone. Shallow weathered pediplains in geological formations of Tiridi Gneiss and Sausor Groups are grouped under limited ground water potential category, except along the fractures/lineaments. Structural hills in geological formations of Tirodi Gneiss and Sausar Groups have poor ground water prospects. Inselbergs and Linear ridges in geological formations of Tirodi Gneiss are grouped under very poor ground water prospects zone. The good inter-relationship was found among the geological units, geomorphological units, lineament density, hydro-geomorphological zones and ground water yield data.     

Delineation of potential sites for water harvesting structures using remote sensing and GIS

Availability of groundwater varies spatially and temporally depending upon the terrain. The scarcity of water affects the environmental and developmental activities of an area. Construction of small water harvesting structures across streams/watersheds is gaining momentum in recent years. In the present study, potential sites for construction of rainwater harvesting structures in the Bakhar watershed of Mirzapur District, Uttar Pradesh, India have been identified by using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Various thematic maps such as Landuse/Landcover, geomorphology and lineaments, etc. were prepared using remote sensing. These layers along with geology and drainage were integrated using GIS techniques to derive suitable water harvesting sites. Each theme was assigned a weightage depending on its influence on ground water recharge (for example weightages 20,18,15,25,25 and 0 were assigned to geomorphology, landuse, geology, lineament, drainage and road and villages respectively). Each class or unit in the map was assigned a knowledge based ranking of one to four depending on its significance in storage and transmittance of groundwater, and these values were multiplied with layer weightage to form score. The average score for excellent region is greater than 200, for good 121 to 200, for moderate 81 to 121 and the other polygon having value less than 80 (excluding zero) were assigned to poor category. The final map showing different categories of suitability sites for water harvesting structures such as Check dams, Contour bunding, Recharge pits, Wells and Contour trenching have been suggested.     

Classifying airborne radiometry data with Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering: A tool for geological mapping in context of rainforest (French Guiana)

In highly weathered environments, it is crucial that geological maps provide information concerning both the regolith and the bedrock, for societal needs, such as land-use, mineral or water resources management. Often, geologists are facing the challenge of upgrading existing maps, as relevant information concerning weathering processes and pedogenesis is currently missing. In rugged areas in particular, where access to the field is difficult, ground observations are sparsely available, and need therefore to be complemented using methods based on remotely sensed data.     

Regional Structural Analysis by Remote Sensing for Mineral Exploration,Paraiba State,Northeast Brazil

Abstract

Photogeological techniques were used to analyze Landsat‐TM images of the Paraiba State, which resulted in the identification of the following structures: lineaments of regional extent, short en echelon lineaments, intricate ramification of the wrench system, and infrastructures among major lineaments and circular or ring structures. This lineament map was correlated to existing geological maps, to areas of known hydrothermal mineralization (Cu, Au, Mo, Ni, W and Ti), and the lineament map was verified in the field reconnaissance. Due to lack of systematic studies of the geology and natural resources of the region the mineral exploration is still in rudimentary stages. The objective of this research is to emphasize the detection and analysis of lineaments, their patterns, and geometry and their relations with the occurrence of mineral resources and its exploration in areas as yet explored. A large number of mineral‐bearing pegmatites of the region are controlled by major lineaments and associated minor lineaments. It is believed that the structures of interest in search for mineral deposits are warping part of the minor shear zones, the intersections of short and regional lineaments, and the circular features.     

Geology and geomorphology of Cumbum valley and Varushanadu hills,Madural district,Tamil Nadu through remote sensing

The Varushanad hills forms the eastern offshoot of the Western Ghats and the Cumbum valley divides the Varushnad hills from the Western Ghats. Investigations were carried out in about 1700 sq Km comprising the Cumbum valley and the Varushanad hills of the Western Ghats situated in Periakulam Srivalliputhur and Usilampatti taluks of Tamil Nadu on the geological and geomorphological aspects. Remote sensing techniques were used and limited field checks were made. Visual interpretation of aerial photographs on 1:60,000 scale was carried out for identifying the geomorphological features, drainage pattern and lithology. Digital analysis of the Landsat computer compatible tape (CCT) path-row 154–053 was also carried out to delineate major lithological variations. Major lineaments were also mapped from the Landsat imagery and false colour composite. The rock types of the Cumbum valley and the Varushanad hills are mainly charnockites, granite gneiss and pink granites which have been deformed by folds and faults. The various geomorphological units of the area are ridges, valleys, bazada zone and pediment zone of mountain complex. Resources evalution studies on the potential zone of ground water and possible construction materials were also discussed.     

Volcano-tectonic scenario of Vulsini volcanoes (Central Italy) from LANDSAT-MSS images and digital elevation data

Through the analysis of LANDSAT-MSS images and Digital Elevation Model (DEM) from the Vulsini Volcanic District (VVD), Central Italy, 62 lineaments have been detected. All data sets have been converted into thematic maps showing the correspondence of the lineaments with geological limits, geophysical anomalies trends, mineral hot water locations, eruptive fractures and volcanic centres. Lastly, some lineaments have been correlated with basement tectonics and magma composition.     

Hydrogeology of Talwandi Sabo Tehsil,Bathinda District (Punjab): A remote sensing approach

Studies on water resources and hydrogeology of an area have become much easier with the help of Remote Sensing Technology. As an attempt to evaluate hydrogeology and ground water conditions of the tehsil Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda district, a hydromorphogeological map of the area was prepared through visual interpretation of satellite imagery. The study shows that the study area, a part of the Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain, is occupied by a large number of sand-dune complexes deposited by the ancient Satluj River while traversing the area during the past. Later on reworking of sand-dunes by aeolian action and their physical removal for agricultural purposes resulted in the present landscape of a plain land with sanddune complexes. Unconsolidated Quaternary alluvial sediments consisting of fine to medium-grained sand with admixture of kankar and some clay constitute the aquifer system of the area. Studies show that ground water occurs under both confined and unconfined conditions with water table at shallow depths. But the quality of the ground water is poor to marginal in most of the area except in the vicinity of main canal (Kotla Branch) where water seepage from canals has made the ground water good in quality.     

Demarcation of palaeochannels and integrated ground water resources mapping in parts of Hisar district,Haryana

Present study deals with the demarcation of palaeochannels and mapping of integrated water resources in parts of Hisar district, Haryana using Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-1D) LISS-III Data of December 21, 2001. The landforms identified are Sand Dune, Dune Complex, Aeolian Plain, Fluvioaeolian plain, Palaeochannel and Younger Alluvial Plain formed by aeolian, fluvio-aeolian, and fluvial processes. These palaeochannels are first time demarcated in the area. The ground water prospects of various geomorphic units have been assessed. Depth to water level and ground water quality maps were digitized and put in to GIS format. Ground water prospects and quality maps were integrated and depth to water level information was draped on it to prepare final integrated ground water resources map. This map depicts ground water prospects, quality and depth together in a single map, which will help in and ground water exploration.     

Remote detection of geological structures: an application to the Aravalli region,western India

Optical and microwave remote sensing data are used in conjunction with a digital elevation model to map lineaments in the central parts of the Aravalli region, Rajasthan, western India. Lineament maps interpreted from each data-set are subsequently combined to derive a composite lineament map of the area. Rose plots are used to identify the prominent trends of the lineaments and compared with published structural map of the study area. Three major trends are identified, namely, the NE–SW, NNE–SSW and EW, which are interpreted to be, related to the DF1, DF2 and DF4 deformation phases identified by the previous workers through field studies. The lineaments are classified as fold axes or faults, and a total of 10-fold axes and 30 faults mapped in the area.     

Searching for ancient gold mines in Filippoi area,Macedonia, Greece,using Worldview-2 satellite imagery

The study area is located near the town of Filippoi, north of the city of Kavala in northern Greece, known from ancient times for its rich gold mines, situated inside hydrothermal alteration zones (Fe–Mn oxide minerals). A Very High-Resolution (0.5 m pixel size) image of Worldview-2 satellite was digitally enhanced, yielding target areas of potential ore existence and lineaments. Ground-truth that followed digital image processing, revealed abandoned ancient mines, slags and ore occurrences. Also, a number of lineaments delineated on the satellite image were verified as faults.     

Groundwater Prospect Zoning Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System: A Case Study in Dala-Renukoot Area, Sonbhadra District, Uttar Pradesh

In the present study, ground water prospect zones in Dala-Renukoot area, in Sonebhadra district. Uttar Pradesh, India have been delineated, through integration of various thematic maps using ARC/INFO GIS. Thematic maps in respect of geology, geomorphology. slope, drainage, land-use/land cover, lineament and lineament intersection frequency were prepared on 1:50,000 scale using remote sensing and conventional methods. These maps were scanned and registered with reference to a basemap and are input as separate layers using ARC/INFO GIS. Each theme was assigned a weightage depending on its influence on the movement and storage of groundwater and each unit in every theme map is assigned a knowledge based ranking from 1 to 5 depending on its significance to groundwater occurrence. All the themes are overlaid, two at a time and the resultant composite coverage is classified into five groundwater prospect categories. This output map is correlated with the groundwater data collected in the field.     

Resource constraint mapping and management in arid tract of Punjab

The arid tract of Punjab experiences various problems like thick sand cover (sand dunes) in large area, poor retention of water and nutrients in coarse textured soils, soil salinity and/or alkalinity, water logging and poor ground water quality. In the present study multidate remotely sensed data both in the form of aerial photographs and satellite imagery on 1:50,000 scale were interpreted visually to map physiography and soils. The ground water samples from tubewells distributed all over the area were collected and analysed to prepare ground water quality map. The soil and ground water quality maps were integrated to produce a resource constraint map of the area showing physical, chemical and hydrological constraints. The study revealed that alluvial plain suffers from hydrological constraints due to marginal to.poor ground water in 86% of the total area. The sand dunes show both physical and hydrological constraints due to coarse textured (sandy) soils and brackish ground water. The basins having soil salinity and brackish ground water cover 0.10% of the area. Keeping in view the type of constraint, locale specific measures like levelling and stabilisation of sand dunes, reclamation of salt affected and water logged areas followed by plantation of tree species which act as biopumps are suggested. The conjuctive use of surface (canal) and ground water is essential to prevent secondary salinization and sodification. The study demonstrates the potential usefulness of remote sensing technology in mapping natural resources and assess the nature, magnitude and spatial distribution of resource constraints.     

Groundwater resources development in hard rock terrain - an approach using remote sensing and GIS techniques

To demonstrate the capabilities of remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques for groundwater resources development in hard rock terrains, specifically for the demarcation of suitable sites for artificial recharge of groundwater aquifers, a study was carried out in the Kallar Basin, which is located in parts of the Salem and Tiruchirapalli districts, Tamil Nadu, India. Thematic maps defining lithology, lineaments, landforms, landuse, drainage density, thickness of weathered zone, thickness of fractured zone, hydrological soils, and well yield were prepared from data collected by the Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) -1C and by conventional methods. All the thematic layers were integrated using a GIS-based model developed specifically for this purpose, enabling a map showing artificial recharge zones to be generated. The exact type of artificial recharge structure, eg, check dam, nallabund, gully plugging and percolation pond, suitable for replenishing groundwater was identified by superposing a drainage network map over an artificial recharge zones map. The GIS-based demarcation of artificial zones developed in the study was based on logical conditions and reasoning, so that the same techniques (with appropriate modifications) could be adopted elsewhere, especially in hard rock terrain, where the occurrence of groundwater is restricted and subject to greater complexity.     

Shallow Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Stereo Air Photos and Thematic Maps

Overlay (or heuristic) models have been shown to be a reasonable method to generate landslide susceptibility maps. However, overlay models are subjective and rely on expert judgment. The method developed here employs an overlay model but it tries to estimate certain parameters, such as slope angle or distance to streams, in a more quantitative manner. Each individual factor believed to have an influence on mass wasting processes is scaled to a value between 0 and 1. All different factors are then multiplied, producing the degree of stability, D_f, which lies on a ratio scale, rather than a nominal or interval scale. Thus, a pseudo probability of failure can be obtained. The data required are derived partly from thematic maps and partly from stereo air photos. The air photo stereo pair is used to automatically derive a digital elevation model which is then used to create an orthoimage of an area. The air photos are also used to develop a land use map, an important component in estimating landslide susceptibility. This methodology was tested on a section of the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, California. The resulting map both visually and statistically appears to successfully identify problematic areas. Although the methodology was primarily developed to identify shallow slides, the crest of a large, deep-seated landslide was also recognized. The general methodology should be easily adaptable to other regions or could be applied with a different set of factors than those considered in this specific case.     

Mapping floods due to Hurricane Sandy using NPP VIIRS and ATMS data and geotagged Flickr imagery

In this study, we present an approach to estimate the extent of large-scale coastal floods caused by Hurricane Sandy using passive optical and microwave remote sensing data. The approach estimates the water fraction from coarse-resolution VIIRS and ATMS data through mixed-pixel linear decomposition. Based on the water fraction difference, using the physical characteristics of water inundation in a basin, the flood map derived from the coarse-resolution VIIRS and ATMS measurements was extrapolated to a higher spatial resolution of 30 m using topographic information. It is found that flood map derived from VIIRS shows less inundated area than the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood map and the ground observations. The bias was mainly caused by the time difference in observations. This is because VIIRS can only detect flood under clear conditions, while we can only find some clear-sky data around the New York area on 4 November 2012, when most flooding water already receded. Meanwhile, microwave measurements can penetrate through clouds and sense surface water bodies under clear-or-cloudy conditions. We therefore developed a new method to derive flood maps from passive microwave ATMS observations. To evaluate the flood mapping method, the corresponding ground observations and the FEMA storm surge flooding (SSF) products are used. The results show there was good agreement between our ATMS and the FEMA SSF flood areas, with a correlation of 0.95. Furthermore, we compared our results to geotagged Flickr contributions reporting flooding, and found that 95% of these Flickr reports were distributed within the ATMS-derived flood area, supporting the argument that such crowd-generated content can be valuable for remote sensing operations. Overall, the methodology presented in this paper was able to produce high-quality and high-resolution flood maps over large-scale coastal areas.