Mineral mapping in the Maktesh Ramon (Israel) using DAIS 7915 data

Kurzfassung

The DAIS 7915 was flown over the Maktesh Ramon, a geological structure on a desertic mediterranean area devoid of vegetation. The day-time channels are corrected for noncoherent noise and atmospheric effects aiming to a spectral analysis of the imagery in terms of lithological spectral behaviour. Dominant calcareous contents on the exposed outcrop is mapped as different lithological units. Sharp changes in height are mapping guide lines in the area, acting as contact for different lithological units. The thermal infrared, sensitive to topography, is used for target selection on the imagery. Principal components analysis and minimum noise fraction transforms were used as first approaches on groups of channels selected under spectral lithological behaviour criteria based on field spectra to evaluate data variablility. The minimum noise fraction transforms on thermal infrared channels proved to be a good instrument for lithological discrimination. Spectral Angle Mapper using field spectra as endmembers, and Maximum Likelihood Classification based on selected training areas on the imagery resulted the best digital mapping methods.