Lineament mapping in the Central High Atlas using ASTER and ASTER-GDEM data, (Morocco)

Abstract

The present work focuses on lineament mapping using new spatial remote sensing techniques in the central High Atlas (CHA) of Morocco. In this study, the automatic extraction of lineaments was based on using multispectral images type Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission Reflection Radiometer (ASTER, L1B) with high spatial resolution up to 15 m for the visible/near-infrared (VNIR) bands. Besides, a digital elevation model (DEM) type ASTER GDEM was used with a spatial resolution of 30 m. The satellite image was pre-processed before the automatic extraction of the lineaments using the mathematical algorithm Line Module of the PCI Geomatica software 2016. Then, multisource data, such as an extract of the Ouarzazate Alougoum geological map (1/100000) covering the entire study area and a calibrated field imaging background (source: Esri, Maxar, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus, DS, USDA, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community), was used for validating the results. The extraction of the lineaments from the first principal component (PC1) image was derived from the satellite image and the DEM. These results proved that each produced map has a strong similarity in concentration and orientation with three major directions including NE-SW, E-W and ENE-WSW. We observed a high concentration of these lineaments in both the central and northern parts of the study area as well.