Geologic Mapping of the Sinclair Region, Namibia

Investigator: 
XinXin Xu
Advisor: 
David Evans
Start Date: 
May, 2015
Description: 

This is a continuation of my OEFS course project.  Remote sensing to map lithological features has been widely used and studied. With the launch of the new ASTER satellite, remote sensing has become even more useful in creating geologic maps of hard-to-reach regions. In this project, a single ASTER image from the Sinclair region in Southern Namibia was classified using various techniques and compared to an actual geologic map that has been ground-truthed. To determine the accuracy of the remote sensing images, six major geologic formations that outcropped in the area were identified (Aubures, Barby, basement granite, Guperas, Kumbis, and the Kunjas). There were varying degrees of success with each of the methods used. Specifically, creating a composite image via three indices worked the best, and isolating and creating mineral specific images did not work at all. The images produced, though helpful, would have been quite difficult to interpret without comparing to the geologic map. Therefore, at least in this specific case, though remote sensing did provide more evidence attesting to the accuracy of the geologic map, it does not substitute for the actual mapping process.