Improving geological mapping in the Arabian Shield using Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery—Jabal Duhayyah area

Abstract

The Jabal Duhayyah area spans the contact between two tectonic zones of the southern Arabian Shield. By utilising principal components analysis of the Landsat-TM data, it was easy to locate this contact precisely as well as to improve and update available geological maps. Previously unmapped lithologics were distinguished and mapped during the processing of the images. Field-checking confirmed these findings and a new geological map was constructed.

Satellite imagery (e.g. Landsat) could be a valuable mapping tool in the well-exposed Arabian Shield, even where it is already mapped at the 1:100000 scale.