Integrating remote sensing, GIS and in-situ data for structural mapping over a part of the NW Rif belt, Morocco

Abstract

This study adopts an integrated approach using the geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing techniques for structural mapping in inaccessible zone of the internal segment of North-Western Rif belt, Morocco. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Optimal Index Factor (OIF), band ratios and directional filtering are applied to Landsat 8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) image for mapping lithology and geological structures. Tectonic lineaments are extracted using the remote sensing and GIS approach and verified by in-situ data. Lithology and detailed structural features in the study area as well as the main sets of fractures trending NW–SE and E–W are identified and highlighted. The results obtained in this research demonstrate that the integration of remote sensing imagery and GIS techniques is a reliable and low-cost approach to fracture extraction and structural mapping, particularly in remote and inaccessible regions of the African plate and other analogue zones around the world.