Application of ERTS images and image processing to regional geologic problems and geologic mapping in northern Arizona

TLDR

Computer image processing is essential for extracting relevant data from the 200‑million‑bit ERTS images for specific geological applications. The study used spectral reflectivity from four MSS bands, corrected for path radiance and normalized, and combined high‑altitude photographs with existing map data to produce a detailed map of major fault systems over 90,000 sq km in northern Arizona. Using ERTS images, the study identified and mapped the full extent of three major fault systems—Sinyala, Bright Angel, and Mesa Butte—and also pinpointed potential shallow groundwater sources.

Abstract

The author has identified the following significant results. Computer image processing was shown to be both valuable and necessary in the extraction of the proper subset of the 200 million bits of information in an ERTS image to be applied to a specific problem. Spectral reflectivity information obtained from the four MSS bands can be correlated with in situ spectral reflectance measurements after path radiance effects have been removed and a proper normalization has been made. A detailed map of the major fault systems in a 90,000 sq km area in northern Arizona was compiled from high altitude photographs and pre-existing published and unpublished map data. With the use of ERTS images, three major fault systems, the Sinyala, Bright Angel, and Mesa Butte, were identified and their full extent measured. A byproduct of the regional studies was the identification of possible sources of shallow ground water, a scarce commodity in these regions.