Lineament Patterns Research Articles

New enhancement techniques for azimuthal analysis of lineaments for detecting tectonic trends in and around the Afro-Arabian Shield

Abstract The weighted moving average technique is used to analyse lineament azimuths counted by number and length. The technique enhances peak/noise ratio. The quality of distribution is measured by the χ2-test and the degree of correlation between lineament number and length. Moreover, segmenting lineaments improves the enhancement and makes the counting only by number. Lineament distributions in the four study areas in and around the Afro-Arabian Shield are very similar and can be regarded as a fingerprint. Tentatively, 24 trends are correlated from one area to the other but with varying shape and amplitude. Among these are the Red Sea, Aqaba, Najd, Aden, Meridonial and Trans-Red Sea tectonic trends. A pattern of lineaments disposed about the N-S is traced in all areas, but in Abha, to the south it deviates 7° to the west. It is related mostly to an old tectonic trend. The deviation might be due to the effect of the rotation of the Arabian Plate counter-clockwise with respect to fixed Africa.

The position of Ural Mts. massive sulfide regions in the pattern of Eurasian lineaments

The Uralian metallogenic belt occurs within the north-south trending Ural-Omanian transcontinental lineament * . It has been shown that the regions with massive sulfide mineralization are controlled by nodes of intersection of the above lineament (in the Middle and South Urals) with lineaments of other trends, or are connected with rift structures within the Ural-Omanian lineament (in the Mugodzhary). The pyrite- and copper-pyrite-rich portions of the belt are related to deep seated faults of the Ural-Omanian lineament which expose subcrustal strata of the lithosphere. However, the size and productivity of the districts are determined by the complexity of geological structure and by specific ore-controlling features of individual segments of the Ural-Omanian lineament.

活断層センシング

In order to observe the status of earth's nature and human activity, we are able to utilize the sensor data onboard the orbiting satellite platform with high resolution. It is well known that remotely sensed data have quite unique character of quick, repeat, cheap and reliance, which reflect the features of earth's surface. This technique is often utilized for some of exploration stages such as petroleum and metal mining resources.JERS-1 SAR data were taken over disastered area before and after the Hyogoken Nanbu Earthquake, and generated interferrogram showing crustal deformation pattern. Also, we have derived lineament map from SPOT HRV data to compare with the pattern of interferrogram.This paper describing the effectiveness of new concept the usage of lineament pattern. Because, extracted plenty of lineaments from satellite image suppose to be more efficient to detect surface movement occurred by crustal deformation.

A structural fabric defined by topographic lineaments: Correlation with Tertiary deformation of Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg Islands, Canadian Arctic

Digital topographic contours from four 1:250000 scale maps have been gridded to produce a digital elevation model for part of Ellesmere and Axel Heiberg islands in the Canadian Arctic Islands. Gradient calculations were used to define both east and west dipping slopes defining a pattern of lineaments that have been compared with mapped geological structures. In ice‐covered areas, where geological mapping was not possible, well‐defined topographic lineaments have been identified and are correlated to extensions of major structural features. The northeast‐southwest patterns of both topographic lineaments and mapped structures are strongly unimodal and support a single compressive event oriented at 67° west of north. This orientation is coincidental with the convergence direction calculated from the kinematic poles of rotation for Greenland relative to North America between 56 and 35 Ma. A minor secondary peak at 70° east of north is observed for thrust and normal fault solutions and is not directly related to the predicted convergence direction. Whether this represents a unique phase of deformation or is a subcomponent of a single event is not known. The agreement of structural components, lineament orientations, and convergence direction suggests an overwhelming overprint of Eurekan deformation on any preexisting structural fabric. This study confirms, for the first time, an excellent compatibility between geological and geophysical constraints for the timing and geometry of the Eurekan orogeny.

Delineation and analysis of the surface and subsurface structural lineament patterns in the North Lake Nasser area and its surroundings, Aswan, upper Egypt

Abstract The present work is an integrated photogeological-geophysical study which deals essentially with the delineation and analysis of the structural lineament pattern in the surroundings of the Aswan region, with special emphasis on the North Lake Nasser area to the south of Aswan, upper Egypt. This integrated study is based mainly on the utilization of the structural lineaments map of the southeastern desert of Egypt interpreted from the Landsat-I Satellite images in addition to the aerial photomosaics and aeromagnetic maps of North Lake Nasser area. Results obtained have been used in conjunction with the previously available seismological information in delineating sites of potential earthquake activity in the North Lake Nasser area.

Mapping faults and lineaments using radar sir‐a imagery in the African Shield, Mandara Area, Northern Cameroon

Abstract Radar techniques are specially suitable to detect and to map faulted areas in a shield structure. In this paper, front optical filtered radar imagery, fracture pattern of the northern part of the Mandara area (Cameroon) and adjacent lowland are studied. Lineament patterns were mapped, using an optical pantograph. Lineament analysis identifies two main structural orientations.

Diverse Flow Patterns in the Aquifers of the Amargosa Desert and Vicinity, Southern Nevada and California

Diverse flow patterns in aquifer systems located in geologically and topographically complex terrains, including locating and qualitatively characterizing vertical and lateral flow paths, areas of large vertical and lateral transmissivity, regional recharge and discharge zones, and areas of ground-water mixing, may be predicted and conceptualized from a specified procedure involving geomorphic, geologic, and hydrologic analyses. The general method for evaluating the interrelations between regional structural discontinuities and ground-water flow system response includes the integration of lineament and anomalous drainage patterns and segments, hydrogeologic units and geologic structure (including stress-strain relations), topography, geobotany, hydrochemistry, and hydrology (including modeling) analyses. This method, applied to the Amargosa Desert and vicinity in southern Nevada and adjacent Death Valley, California, showed that there are four major structural zones that may control regional, confined and intermontane, unconfined ground-water flow. The four structural zones identified and characterized for ground-water hydrology are: (a) Pahrump fault zone; (b) Death Valley-Furnace Creek fault zone; (c) Kawich-Greenwater rift zone; and (d) Spotted Range-Mine Mountain fault zone.

活断層との対比によるリニアメント抽出を目的とした画像強調効果の定量評価

Interpretation of the geologic structure of the earth's surface using satellite data reflecting the subsurface fractures in the target area is the significant method for the exploration. Fracture analysis would be an unusually simple and valuable tool for understanding the structure in subsurface. This study is aimed at the analysis of relation of the earth's surface character and data processing methods using extracted lineaments from Landsat TM VNIR data. It is well known that the lineament patterns are the significant features to indicate the historic results of structural motion. In this paper, two VNIR Landsat TM data were chosen from the two categories of surface character, vegetated mountainous, and vegetated flat areas, to apply three types of digital filter, such as median (MD), bidirectional high frequency component enhancement (TY), and omnidirectional high frequency component enhancement (OM) . Types of the filters were selected from the points of enhancement and preservation of the edges contained in the original images. Four images, Original, MD, TY, OM, were generated in each area. Using these enhanced images, the lineaments were extracted and analyzed statistically. As the results, images of median filter in both category area preserve the lineament pattern of non-enhanced original images, but bidirectional and omnidirectional high frequency component enhancement images do not preserve the original image's character. The relation between lineaments and active faults existing in each study area, we can clearly find those active faults as lineaments on the images. Apparently, northward active fault running from Yoneshiro river can easily be recognized in each processed images of studied Noshiro area. Active faults running around Mt. Iwaki can also clearly be seen as lineaments in Hirosaki area. The matching ratio among active faults indicate that omnidirectional high frequency component enhancement images are in maximum in both studied areas.

ＴＭ ＶＮＩＲによる画像強調とリニアメント解析との相関

ＴＭ ＶＮＩＲによる画像強調とリニアメント解析との相関

LANDSAT Thematic Mapper Data Applied to Structural Studies of the Eastern Ghat Granulite Terrane in Part of Andhra Pradesh

Abstract LANDSAT TM data have been used as an aid to studying the regional geology of the granulite terrane in the southern part of Eastern Ghats. The technique in conjunction with regional traverses proved to be useful in identifying regional structural elements, such as shear zones, fold patterns of different scales and other lineament patterns, in poorly exposed and inaccessible areas. A major crustal scale ductile shear zone, designated as Sileru shear zone, with a dextral sense is highlighted and lies at the western margin of the high grade terrane. The other shear zones within the granulite terrane, characterised by migmatitic gneisses and typical L-S mylonitic fabrics, are associated with transpressional tectonics. Fold patterns varying from tight upright isoclinal folds to refolded large scale recumbent folds, along with complex fold interference structures on mesoscopic to regional scale are described. The interpretation of LANDSAT data, followed by limited ground based traverses from Sileru to Visakhapatnam in Visakhapatnam district and from Chinturu to Eleswaram in East Godavari district are the constraints in precisely defining the regional structures and understanding the tectonic processes that fashioned shear zones and fold patterns in granulite terranes. A fold thrust thin-skinned tectonic model involving two tectonothermal events for the study area is envisaged.

Analysis of the lineament pattern in the Rhodope massif (after computer processing of satellite remote sensing data)

A statistical processing of lineament network obtained by independent analysis of space images of the Bulgarian and Greek parts of the Rhodope Mountains, has been performed by means of a package of FORTRAN programs. Computer algorithms include a sequence of preparatory, subsidiary, and properly processing procedures. The end product represents schemes for the azimuthal and areal distribution of the lineaments. The predominant lineament trends are marked by maxima on the rose diagrams. They are grouped into five sets (5-10°, 60°; 95°; 115°; 165°) which correspond fairly well to the principal fault sets in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The analysis of these trends confirms the relative independence of the five blocks previously outlined on the basis of more general geological considerations. Maps of the total and partial densities outline areas of different degree of lineamentation, and reveal areal interrelations of zones rich in lineaments of the sets existing in the region. The results of the study are related to problems of the seismicity and the mineral deposits.

Geological interpretation of aeromagnetic data in some parts of northcentral Nigeria

Airborne magnetic data and field observations were used to define structural trends in some parts of North Central Nigeria. The aeromagnetic anomalies of the Jurassic Younger Granite complexes are distinctive with relatively high amplitudes and short wave-lengths and are directly associated with the outcrop patterns of the intrusions. The mosaic pattern of magnetic anomalies may be used to identify the Younger Granite ring complexes. The aeromagnetic data also contain evidence of linear structural discontinuities. some of these linear features are long and extend through the survey area. They are identified by a pattern of contour offsets and probably reflect deep crustal features cutting some of the Younger Granite known to be mineralised. In particular, a major fault is mapped which cuts the Ririwai complex to the East. This fault trending NW-SE, appears to extend southwards through the area. The lineaments probably acted as conduit through which mineralized fluid flowed. The regional trends of structures are revealed on the aeromagnetic map, these being mainly northeast-southwest and northwest-southeast. The Northwest-southeast trends are superimposed on the northeast-southwest trends. This overprinting of one magnetic anomaly trend over the other suggests that the Northeast-southwest lineaments are older than the northwest-southeast lineament patterns Three known tin-bearing ring complexes show strong magnetic anomalies which make them more prominent than the other complexes on the coloured magnetic anomaly map. This characteristic should assist in locating new provinces for primary tin deposits.

An exploration strategy for higher-yield boreholes in the West African crystalline basement

Abstract In Burkina Faso investigations have been carried out to test satellite imagery and electromagnetic (EM) methods as a means of improving the siting of water supply boreholes in fissured rocks of the crystalline basement. The results show that these methods may be used to locate boreholes with above average groundwater yields, and to reduce the failure rates. Geometrical analysis of Landsat-MSS lineaments reveals the relevant regional fracture pattern, the present-day principal stress field and the resulting system of oriented hydraulic conductivities. Structural analysis of the lineament pattern and identification of dry-season-active vegetation on Landsat-TM imagery permit promising locations to be pinpointed for groundwater abstraction. EM-measurements on a two-dimensional grid using the ‘very low frequency’ (VLF) and ‘horizontal loop EM’ (HLEM) methods are used to locate potential fractures on a local scale as a basis for rational borehole siting. The methods, applied separately or in combination, offer an economical approach for use in rural and community water supply, small-scale irrigation and water resources planning. The methods appear to be generally transferable to fissured hard rock aquifers in other regions. The best suited settings are believed to be on cratons and platforms in a semi-arid climate.

Remote Sensing of the Lineament Patterns Associated with the Great Boundary Fault of Rajasthan

The present work aims to identify, isolate, map and analyse the lineament patterns associated with the Great Boundary Fault (GBF) using remote sensing techniques and to draw some significant conclusions regarding its tectonogenesis therefrom. The locus of the line separating the two distinct patterns of structural trend lines observed on a structural trend map, prepared from the Landsat images, represents the ground disposition of the GBF. The rose diagram plotted for the lineament orientations of different sectors indicates that the whole area was subjected to a similar stress pattern, yet the intensity of stress in each sector was significantly different from the other. The lineament intersection density map clearly demarcates the areas of folding and faulting associated with the GBF. Tectonic anomalies plotted for the area through lineament analysis represent the signatures of prominent surface and sub-surface tectonic elements. The work presents an example for the study of a Precambrian fault system using remote sensing techniques.

A comparative evaluation of IRS-1A LISS-II and landsat MSS images using computer-aided lineament data analysis

Lineament patterns detected from remotely sensed data provide useful information to geoscientists, specially in the study of basement tectonics, groundwater targetting and mineral exploration. Improvements in the spatial resolution of satellite images have resulted in the detection of short and faint lineaments which have hitherto gone unnoticed The IRS-1A LISS-II data offers a significant improvement in spatial resolution as compared to the Landsat MSS. A set of computer programmes developed for analysis of lineaments were used to study the parameters such as lineament frequency, length and density in order to quantify the added information derived using IRS-1A LISS-II images. The incremental contribution of LISS-II images are of the order of 100 per cent for lineament frequency and about 60 per cent for total line kilometers of lineaments detected.

Use of topographic lineaments to extend known structure and facies patterns in the Mesozoic of Southern England

A detailed structural map of Southern England was compiled from published geological and geophysical data, carefully integrated with, and extended by, an interpretation of topographic lineament patterns. Pre-Permian basement structures controlled the location of Permian to Lower Cretaceous basin margin faults that were subsequently blanketed by post-tectonic Upper Cretaceous Chalk. Late Cretaceous to Tertiary compression reactivated and inverted earlier Mesozoic structures, imprinting them into the Upper Cretaceous cover. Structural controls on sedimentation are illustrated by maps and sections for key Triassic and Jurassic units.

Crustal domains in the northern Kaapvaal craton as defined by magnetic lineaments

The northern part of the Kaapvaal craton and Limpopo belt can be subdivided into domains on the basis of aeromagnetic lineament patterns. These subdivisions reflect portions of the lithosphere with different tectonic histories and many of these domains correlate with known metamorphic-tectonic provinces. The dykes causing the lineation pattern intruded intermittently over a very long period of time, and, within a domain, the trend of the intruded dykes is determined not only by the stress field operative at the time of intrusion, but also by an inherited fracture pattern in that domain. The event that introduced the fracture pattern has to be older than 2456 ± 78 Ma and younger than 2603 ± 129 Ma. The magnetic lineation data show that a 15° anticlockwise rotation of the central zone of the Limpopo belt with respect to the southern marginal zone will restore parallelism in the fracture pattern of the two domains. The presence of the greenstone belts has no effect on the dyke pattern, and domain boundaries cut across these structures.

Fortran 77 programs for preliminary summarisation of lineament patterns

Fortran 77 programs have been developed for summarisation of lineament pattern and fracture traces on MS-DOS based micro-computer system. Two menu driven programmes CLAFY and HIST perform the above task. CLAFY reads the X, Y co-ordinates of lineament and points from an input file and produces an output file containing azimuth frequency, total length and average length for 18 predefined azimuth classes at 10 degree interval. HIST reads the output generated by CLAFY and offers an option to generate histograms of azimuth frequency/total length/average length on a dot matric printer. CLAFY and HIST were tested using digitised lineament co-ordinates derived from lineament maps of parts of Central Kerala region, southwestern, India which were prepared based on Landsat imagery interpretation. The programmes afford repetitive manipulation of large quantities of lineament data without ignoring short and /or faint lineaments which have geologic significance.

Tectonic fabric of Sierra Leone, West Africa: implications for Mesozoic continental breakup

A lineament map interpreted from Landsat images has been integrated with available geological and geophysical data from both offshore and onshore regions of Sierra Leone. The lineament patterns are related to intraplate and plate marginal reaction of pre-existing structures during Mesozoic rifting events that resulted in strong tectonic controls on magmatism. Of four main lineament trends, the NNW-SSE to N–S, NNE–SSW, and ENE–WSW trends are directly relatable to Archaean fabric in the Leo Uplift. A NW-SE trend reflects coast-parallel late Mesozoic dykes that follow the Rokelide Pan–African fabric (reactivated Archaean NNW and N–S trending structures). NW–SE trending faults defining offshore basins are segmented and offset by ENE–WSW trending continental extensions of Ocean fracture zones. Both the Guinea and Sierra Leone Fracture Zones have nucleated on ENE–WSW trending sinistral Archaean shear zones in the Leo Uplift. The four lineament trends focused Mesozoic magmatic events through protracted reactivation, Spatial and geometric relationships between the magmatic provinces and tectonic fabric indicate that intraplate deformation occurs far inland during rifting events. The angular relationships between the Permo–Triassic NE trending Guinea Belt, the Jurassic–Triassic NW–SE trending coast-parallel dykes, and the ENE–WSW trending Ocean fracture zones centred on the eariy Jurassic Freetown basic igneous complex, suggest that the Sierra Leone–Liberia continental margin evolved as an obliquely-sheared, rift–rift–transform passive margin during Mesozoic continental breakup.

Application of the Haar transform for extraction of linear and anomalous patterns over part of Cambay Basin, India

Abstract Digital filtering of aerial Multispectral Scanner data using the Haar transform has been attempted for a part of Cambay Basin in India for the extraction of linear and anomalous patterns. In addition, a typical pattern has been generated to assess the capability of filtering the linears. The results show that the major drainage as well as lineament patterns are extracted by digital filtering techniques.