Abstract
This study demonstrates the capability of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) sensor data to remotely map industrial carbonate rocks known as the ‘Oman exotics’ of the Sultanate of Oman. We measured reflectance spectra of marble using a PIMA™ spectrometer and studied their spectral absorptions distinguishing calcite from spectral absorptions of dolomite of the same region. The spectral band 8 of ASTER is processed by simple decorrelation stretch image processing method to map the exotic limestone rock of the Nakhl region, Oman. Results showed that carbonate rocks displayed distinctive tonal variation on the image. A comparative study with the spectral band 7 of Landsat 7 (ETM+) does not discriminate the calcite-bearing marbles and associated carbonate formations in the studied area. ASTER data were also processed by the application of the Maximum Likelihood Classification (MLC), Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) and Spectral Information Divergence (SID) image classification algorithms. The results were assessed by the production of a confusion matrix. The study shows the capability of visible near infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral bands of the ASTER sensor and potential of the image processing methods to remotely identify industrial carbonate rocks and we recommend this technique to similar regions of the world.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 145 |
Journal | Geosciences (Switzerland) |
Volume | 8 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 23 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- ASTER
- Exotic limestone
- Industrial rock
- Landsat (ETM+)
- Mapping
- Oman
- Remote sensing
- Spectral signatures
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)