PRISMA hyperspectral data for lithological mapping in the Egyptian Eastern Desert: Evaluating the support vector machine, random forest, and XG boost machine learning algorithms

Abstract

In essence, targeting mineralization necessitates exact structural delineation and thorough lithological mapping. The latter is still a challenge for geologists and its lack hinders meticulous exploration for various mineralizations. Here we show for the first time over a case study from Arabian Nubian Shield (ANS), the application of hyperspectral PRISMA (PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa) data for objective lithological mapping using the well-known Random Forest (RF), XGboost (XGB), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms. Our results manifested the worthiness of PRISMA data in further lithological mapping, especially with SVM with a resultant accuracy depending mainly on the input data combination. Upon field verification, the current research reveals the usefulness of PRISMA and its preceding four principal components in delivering a detailed lithological map for the study area. Additionally, the eligibility of RF, XGB, and SVM was confirmed in delivering acceptable results. SVM exceeds XGB and RF in their overall accuracy (95 %, 92 %, and 90 % for SVM, XGB, and RF respectively). Our research strongly recommends blending the vantages of Machine Learning Algorithms' (MLAs) objectivity and the wealth of PRISMA spectral coverage for further precise lithological mapping before applicable mineral exploration programs in similar terrains.