Lithological mapping using Landsat 8 Oli multispectral data in the northern border western High Atlas Marrakech (Morocco)

Abstract

The remote sensing processing analysis and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have become a directing and hopeful tool for lithological mapping. The present work consists in identifying the lithological formation in order to improve the geological context in the northern Sub-Atlasic zone of Marrakech High Atlas. For this purpose, multispectral data from Landsat 8 operational land imager (OLI) was used in ArcGIS and ENVI classic workspace software and through the treatments, namely; the minimum noise fraction transformation (MNF), band ratios (BR) and principal component analysis (PCA). Whereas our field area characterizing by various lithological formations. These approaches allowed us to discriminate all outcrops constitute the study area. The MNF aims to map the finite-Triassic Basalts, the limestone bars of the Cenomano-Turonian and Aptian-Albian of the synclines in the region, while, BR reveals the spatial distribution of clay mineral, red silt and ferric iron oxides, the Quaternary, basalt and the red sandstone with gypsum of the Senonian are discriminated by the PCA treatment. The obtained results are compatible and corresponding to the field verifications and they showed an excellent correlation with the geological map of the northern slop of the High Atlas of Marrakech (1/10000).