Abstract
Remote sensing investigations combined with Geographical investigation systems (GIS) have become more important for the study of geological mineralization and structural geology like lineaments. Automatic extraction of lineaments from satellite imagery help in giving an overview of the tectonic events in the study area. The main objective of the study was to map hydrothermally altered rocks and geological structures that may be associated with mineral deposits in Mwitika-Makongo area. The study involves the use of Landsat- 8/OLI image. The satellite images were classified using ENVI 5.3 and ArcGIS 10.5. PCI geomatics 2016 was used for extraction of lineaments while Rose diagram was generated using Rockworks 16. Different remote sensing techniques, such as colour composite, band ratio and principal component analysis were applied to identify geological units and features related to economic mineralization. Colour composite band combination (5, 6, 7) showed hydrothermally altered geological units as blue. Band ratio combination (4/2, 6/7, 6/5) showed the areas that were hydrothermally altered as blue. Lineament mapping was done using PCA, with the first three PCs having the highest percentage of Eigenvalues. A lineament density map showed higher values in Makongo hill followed by Kalima Kathei hill. The structural trend from the rose diagram is in the NE direction. The results of image analysis and lineament extraction show that the economic minerals like iron ore are located in areas of hydrothermal alterations where intrusive rocks like Pyroxenite were found. Keywords: Colour composite, Geographical investigation systems, Landsat- 8/OLI, Lineaments, Principal component analysis, hydrothermally altered. DOI : 10.7176/JEES/9-11-03 Publication date: November 30 th 2019
Highlights
The Mwitika-Makongo study area occurs within the Neoproterozoic metamorphic belt rocks of Kitui East subcounty, South Eastern Kenya
The results of this study showed new geological structures and lithology that were missing from previous research works
Materials and Methods The methodology adopted in this study was aimed at achieving the two main objectives of this research; (i) Map hydrothermally altered zones that can be related to economic mineral resources in the area, and (ii) Extract geological structures like faults and lineaments occurring within the area
Summary
The Mwitika-Makongo study area occurs within the Neoproterozoic metamorphic belt rocks of Kitui East subcounty, South Eastern Kenya The rocks of this area are highly deformed due to regional tectonics and high-grade metamorphism that led to the formation of potential economic mineral resources. Previous geological surveys within the area have established the occurrence of several mineral resources of economic potential like iron ore, magnesite, coal and various gemstones. These previous geological surveys were conducted using field observations through various sampling techniques and limited use of technology at that time. With the current advancement in technology, unearthing the details of the area local geology could be key in unlocking the vast mineral potential and exploration prospectivity
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