Aerial remote sensing application in hydrogeological and geomorphic mapping of a rocky terrain: A case study from Uttar Pradesh

Ground water prospecting in hard rock areas of Uttar Pradesh is quite difficult, owing to the geological and geomorphic controls of sub-surface strata on the occurrence and movement of ground water resources, and, therefore, it requires systematic investigations, mainly with the aid of remotely sensed and data, which undoubtedly provide realistic information on the hydrogeological conditions, geomorphologic features, drainage patterns etc. of any rocky area. In this paper, an endeavour has been made to locate ground water possibilities in the drought-affected, rocky terrain of the southern Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, covering part of block Muirpur which is mainly characterised by the varied geological formations, including Archean complex, pre-Vindhyan matasediments and Gondwana formation, through the application of air photointerpretation technique, primarily based on the geologic/geomorphologic approach. The hydro-investigation in the area was carried out using panchromatic aerial photos of 1∶60,000 scale, chiefly to identify the drainage patterns, major geomorphic geo structural and lithological units; as these may control the ground water regime of the area, Further. the present study was also ably supported with limited field survey and hydrogeological data, for achieving reliable results.