The Use of Landsat 8 OLI Image for the Delineation of Gossanic Ridges in the Red Sea Hills of NE Sudan
[1]
Khalid A. Elsayed Zeinelabdein, Department of Geology, Faculty of Petroleum and Minerals, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan.
[2]
Abdel Halim H. El Nadi, Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Gold mineralization type, associated with gossans, was discovered in Ariab area, through the analysis of Landsat images in the nineties of the last century. The main objective of this work is to delineate the gossanic ridges situated NW of Ariab area, which may represent prospective targets for gold mineralization. This can be achieved by applying the spectral band ratioing techniques on Landsat 8 OLI image. Application of the aforementioned techniques revealed characteristic signals of mineral alteration zones (gossanic ridges) that can be accurately mapped and verified by ground checks. XRF analysis of 12 chip samples collected randomly from the gossanic ridges confirmed the presence of gold in the area. Ore microscopic investigation of three samples of sheared gossans provided further evidence of gold mineralization in the study area. The present study demonstrated that the area is economically potential for gold owing to the large tonnage predicted from the delineated target zones.
Remote Sensing, Landsat 8, Gossans, Gold Mineralization, Red Sea Hills, Sudan
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