Landsat MSS imagery applied to geological investigation of the Norseman area granitoid–greenstone terrain, southeast Yilgarn Block, Western Australia

Abstract

AbstractInteractively processed Landsat MSS imagery has been used as an aid to studying the regional geology of approximately 10 800 km2 of terrain at the southeast margin of the Archaean Yilgarn Block in Western Australia. The technique proved successful in extending positions of known lithological contacts and lineaments into poorly exposed, inaccessible areas and in revealing new geological features, especially faults, previously unrecognized at ground level. During this investigation the distribution of granitoids and greenstones was more precisely defined, internal greenstone structures highlighted and three main fault trends were identified: (1) NW–NNW and (2) ENE, both within Archaean shield, and (3) NE–NNE within the transition to adjacent Proterozoic mobile belt. In order for the most information to be extracted from Landsat MSS images it is recommended that, whenever possible, image processing should follow ground-based studies as well as precede them, and that field geologist and Landsat specialist should work at the image processing system together.