Abstract
In the present study an attempt has been made to study the lineaments of the Kodaikanal–Palani massif of Tamil Nadu in southern India. Lineaments extracted from eight different azimuth angles of the SRTM DEM, and Landsat-8 satellite’s OLI sensor’s FCC were integrated to generate a lineament data base for the study area. The extracted lineaments were analysed using ArcGIS and Rockworks software to obtain information regarding the number, length, predominant orientations of lineaments extracted individually from both data, and the final output. These apart spatial variation in lineament density has also been analyzed. Estimations from the final lineament output shows that, 2167 lineaments with their total length being 2997.63 km. Areas of high lineament density are found in the western and north western parts of Kodaikanal Taluk. NE–SW directions are predominant orient direction followed by those orienting in N–S and NW–SE directions, and these orientations are in agreement with the trends of the regional geological structures. Distinct variations in the estimations made of the lineaments extracted from SRTM and OLI data is found to exist. About 40 and 38% of the lineaments of the study area are discernible only in the SRTM data and OLI data, respectively and are not found in each other; only 22% of the lineaments of the study area are found commonly in both the data. Furthermore, NW–SE orienting lineaments are more discernible in SRTM data whereas N–S orienting lineaments are more discernible in OLI data. These variations underlines the fact that lineament mapping using any single data source as has been widely followed will not be adequate to give a reliable picture about the lineaments of an area, and further the study stresses the need to extract lineaments from varied satellite images and integrate them to get a reliable picture of the lineaments.
Highlights
The term lineament is defined as a mappable linear or curvilinear feature of a surface whose parts align in a straight or slightly curving relationship that may be the expression of a fault or other linear zones of weakness, as derived from remote sensing sources such as optical imagery, radar imagery or digital elevation models (Sabins, 1996)
Estimations regarding the number of lineaments in the study area from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data, False Colour Composite (FCC) data of the OLI sensor, and, the final lineament output were made
The total number of lineaments in the study area compiled from all eight azimuth angles of the SRTM DEM merged output is 1351
Summary
The term lineament is defined as a mappable linear or curvilinear feature of a surface whose parts align in a straight or slightly curving relationship that may be the expression of a fault or other linear zones of weakness, as derived from remote sensing sources such as optical imagery, radar imagery or digital elevation models (Sabins, 1996). Understanding of the lineaments of an area can be useful for wide-ranging applications in various fields of geosciences It was initially used mainly for the exploration of petroleum (Blanchet, 1957; Mollard, 1957) and later its utility expanded to other fields such as groundwater detection, mineral exploration, recognition of geological structures such as folds and faults, identification of seismic prone areas, landslide hazard investigations, landform studies, detection of hot springs, pollution migration and dispersion studies, prediction of possible sites of caves, various fields of civil engineering more commonly in studies pertaining to site selection for the construction of dams, power plants, bridges, roads, etc., and for selection of routes for laying roads and in the selection of areas for new settlements.
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