Integration of remote-sensing data for mapping lithological and structural features in the Esh El-Mallaha area, west Gulf of Suez, Egypt

Abstract

Esh El-Mallaha west of the Gulf of Suez is a potential area for hydrocarbon resources. In this article, Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM), and Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array Type L‐band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) data were utilized to identify the geological and structural features of this area which represents a part of the North Eastern Desert (NED), Egypt. The use of band ratios (BR) and principal component analysis (PCA) allowed characterizing the different varieties of rock units. These approaches allowed discriminating the various rock units e.g., metavolcanics, granitoids including the two phases of the older granites and younger granites along with the third phase which represented by elongated ridges cut the rocks and clearly allowed tracing the contacts of different lithological units of the Neoproterozoic basement and Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. Applying the fused Landsat-8 OLI and ALOS/PALSAR data improved the structural elements that difficult to reveal by optical images. Combination of Landsat-8 OLI, ALOS/PALSAR, and SRTM data effectively display the structural and lithological contacts. The lineament extraction and interpretation indicated that the area is clearly shaped by the NW-SE graben and controlled by the Gulf of Suez tectonic trend. Such structures allowed the accumulation of thick sediments in the faulted basin that represents the promise area for oil, gas, and water resources. Lineament analysis revealed that the major tectonic trends controlling the area are NW-SE and NE-SW directions with less effect of N-S and E-W trends. The NW-SE sinistral and NE-SW dextral lateral movements are recognized. Overall results revealed that the integration of optical and radar remotely sensed data is an effective tool in deciphering geological and structural features in the arid regions.