IMAGE PROCESSING AND ANALYSIS USING LANDSAT ETM + IMAGERY FOR LITHOLOGICAL MAPPING AT FAWAKHIR, CENTRAL EASTERN DESERT OF EGYPT

A data fusion technique is presented for lithological mapping in arid environments. Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM + ) visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR) and infrared (IR) bands have been enhanced using image fusion with a high spatial resolution panchromatic band of the same data set. The Hue, Saturation, and Value (HSV) transform is used to convert RGB coordinates into the color coordinates (HSV). Later, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is applied on the fused (HSV) image for mapping ophiolitic and granitic rocks at Fawakhir in the Central Eastern Desert of Egypt. A revised lithologic map of the Fawakhir area is proposed based on the interpretation of Landsat ETM image results and field verification work. It is concluded that the proposed methods have great potential for lithological mapping in arid and semi arid regions.