Lithological mapping of charnockites using spectral mixture analysis

Abstract

Charnockite, an orthopyroxene-bearing granitic rock, is the most dominant rock type of the Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT) of India. This study utilises remote sensing data to map the charnockite lithology in the Kodaikanal region within the SGT. Although remote sensing-based lithological mapping dominantly uses VNIR (Visible-Near Infrared) datasets, in this study, PRISMA (hyperspectral) datasets in the VNIR region and ASTER (multispectral) datasets in the TIR (Thermal Infrared) region were utilised in deriving the mineralogical composition and spectral characteristics of charnockites. In addition, image-derived endmember spectra from PRISMA and ASTER were validated using the laboratory-acquired spectra of charnockites. Linear mixing models (LMM) and the Hapke model were applied to quantitatively study the fractional abundance of charnockite rocks in the Kodaikanal region. Three least square methods, i.e., Fully Constrained Least Squares (FCLS), Non-Negative Least Squares (NNLS), and Unconstrained Least Squares (UCLS), were used to derive the fractional abundance of endmembers. Laboratory-derived charnockite spectra in the VNIR region exhibit spectral features characteristics of pyroxenes and hydrated minerals. In the TIR region, charnockite spectra exhibit characteristic vibrational absorption features of quartz and feldspar known as reststrahlen bands. Image analysis indicates that charnockite rocks exhibit spectral characteristics resembling the mafic rock type in the VNIR region and the felsic rock type in the TIR region. Therefore, the combined analysis of VNIR and TIR datasets allows the accurate delineation of charnockite lithology. However, vegetation in the study area introduces strong nonlinear spectral mixing effects, making it challenging to map the lithological units accurately. This study addresses this challenge using spectral mixture analysis to map charnockites in the Kodaikanal region. The fractional abundance study provides valuable insights into the lithological composition, demonstrating the effectiveness of spectral mixture analysis in mapping charnockites in the Kodaikanal region. Overall, the study demonstrates that the spectral mixture analysis significantly enhances the accuracy of lithology mapping, contributing to a more comprehensive understanding of the study area.