- Article
- Open access
- Published:
Integrating potential fields with remote sensing data for geological investigations in the Eljufra area of Libya
Earth, Planets and Space volume 60, pages 539–547 (2008)
Abstract
In this study, we successfully integrated geological data, potential field data, and remote sensing data with the aim of investigating and improving our knowledge of the structural setting of the Eljufra area, northwestern Libya. SPOT-5 panchromatic band and digital elevation models (DEM) were used to construct surface shaded maps, and gravity and aeromagnetic surveys were used to provide information on subsurface structures and the nature of intrusive bodies. The results revealed that the prevailing trend of lineaments is NNW-SSE and NNE-SSW. A Bouguer anomaly map revealed that horst and graben blocks occur inside the large graben. An analytic signal method was applied to the aeromagnetic data to estimate locations and the minimum depths to the contact. A comparison of gravity and magnetic data provided information on hydrothermally altered basalt and sediment density. An anticlinal structure was detected in the western part of the study area. The effects of faults on basalt rocks indicated geological time for volcanic activity.
References
Anketell, J. M., Structural history of the Sirt basin and its relationship to the Sabrata basin and Cyrenaica platform, northern Libya, in The Geology of the Sirt basin, Vol. III, edited by M. J. Salem, M. T. Busrewil, A. A. Misallati, and M. A. Sola, pp. 57–89, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1996.
Barr, F. T. and A. A. Wegar, Stratigraphic Nomenclature of the Sirt Basin, Libya, Petrol. Explor. Soc. Libya, 199 p., Tripoli, 1972.
Blakely, R. J., Potential Theory in Gravity and Magnetic Applications, Cambridge University Press, 1995.
Burollet, P. F., Lexique Stratigraphique International, Afrique, Fasc. IVa, Libya, Names and Nomenclature Committee Geol. Cong 20th Intern. Geol. Cong., Mexico, 1960, Centre Nat. de la Recherche Sci., 62 p., Paris, 1960.
Cepek, P., Geological map of Libya, 1:250,000, Sheet Al Qaryat Ash Sharqiyah, Industrial Research Centre, Tripoli, Libya, 1979.
Cortes, A., A. Maestro, M. Soriano, and A. Casas, Lineaments and fracturing in the Neogene rocks of the Almazán Basin, northern Spain, Geol. Mag., 135, 255–268, 1998.
de Castro, D., R. Branco, G. Martins, and N. de Castro, Radiometric, magnetic, and gravity study of the Quixadá batholith, central Ceará domain (NE Brazil): evidence for Pan-African/Brasiliano extension-controlled emplacement, J. South Am. Earth Sci., 15, 543–551, 2002.
Energoprojekt, Wadi Sawfajjin—Wadi ZamZam—Al Jufrah Regional Hy-drogeological study, Final Report, Unpublished Report, General Water Authority, Tripoli, 1975.
Goudarzi, G. H., Geology and mineral resources of Libya. A Reconnaissance, Geol. Survey, U.S., Prof. Paper 660, pp. 104, 1970.
Green, R. and J. M. Stanley, Application of a Hilbert transform method to the interpretation of surface-vehicle magnetic data, Geophys. Prospect., 23, 18–27, 1975.
Hallett, D. and A. El Ghoul, Oil and gas potential of the deep trough areas, in the Sirt Basin, Libya, in The geology of Sirt Basin, edited by M. J. Salem, A. S. El-Hawat, and A. M. Sbeta, v. II, p. 455–484, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1996.
Industrial Research Centre (I.R.C.), Geological map of Libya, 1:250,000, sheet: Hun, Tripoli-Libya, 1984.
Jansson, K. and N. Glasser, Using Landsat 7 ETM+ imagery and digital terrain models for mapping glacial lineaments on former ice sheet beds, Int. J. Remote Sens., 26, 3931–3941, 2005.
Jordi, H. A. and F. Lonfat, Stratigraphic subdivision and problems in Upper Cretaceous-Lower Tertiary Deposits in Northwestern Libya, Rev. Inst. Fran. Petrole, 18, 1428–1436, 1963.
Jurak, L., Geological map of Libya, 1:250,000, Explanatory booklet, sheet Nabal Al Hasawnah, NH 33–14, Industrial Research Center, Tripoli, 1978.
Klitzsch, E., Die strukturgeschichte der Zentralsahara, Geol. Rdsch., 59, 459–527, 1970.
Lillesand, T. M. and R. W. Kiefer, Remote sensing and image interpretation, fourth edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 2000.
MacLeod, I. N., K. Jones, and T. F. Dai, 3-D analytic signal in the interpretation of total magnetic field data at low magnetic latitudes, Explor. Geophys., 24, 679–688, 1993.
Mather, P. M., Computer processing of remotely sensed images, John wiley & Sons, Chichester, New York, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapore, 1993.
Morelli, M. and F. Piana, Comparison between remote sensed lineaments and geological structures in intensively cultivated hills (Monferrato and Langhe domains, NW Italy), Int. J. Remote Sens., 27, 4471–4493, 2006.
Nabighian, M. N., The analytic signal of two-dimensional magnetic bodies with polygonal cross-section: its properties and use for automated anomaly interpretation, Geophysics, 37, 507–517, 1972.
Nabighian, M. N., Additional comments on the analytic signal of two-dimensional magnetic bodies with polygonal cross-section, Geophysics, 39, 85–92, 1974.
Nabighian, M. N., Toward a three-dimensional automatic interpretation of potential field data via generalized Hilbert transforms: Fundamental relations, Geophysics, 49, 780–786, 1984.
NASA (http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/srtm/): Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM-DEM).
Reynolds, J., An introduction to applied and environmental geophysics, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, England, 1997.
Richards, J. A., Remote sensing digital image analysis, an introduction, second edition, Springer, Berlin, 1993.
Roest, W. R., J. Verhoef, and M. Pilkington, Magnetic interpretation using 3-D analytic signal, Geophysics, 57, 116–125, 1992.
Rusk, D. C., Libya: Petroleum potential of the underexplored basin centers—A twenty-first century challenge, in Petroleum provinces of the twenty-first century: AAPG Mem., edited by M. W. Downey, J. C. Threet, and W. A. Morgan, 74, 429–452, 2001.
Sabins, F. F., Jr., Remote sensing principals and interpretation, 2nd edn., Freeman, New York, 1987.
Shakoor, A. and Y. Shagroni, Geological map of Libya, 1:250,000, Explanatory Booklet, Sheet Hun NH 33–11, Industrial Research Centre, Tripoli, Libya, 1984.
Schult, A. and H. Soffel, Paleomagnetism of Tertiary basalts from Libya, Geophys. J. R. Astron. Soc., 40, 491–499, London, 1973.
Tawadros, E., Geology of Egypt and Libya, 480 pp., A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, 2001.
Woller, F., Geological Map of Libya 1:250,000, Explanatory Booklet, Sheet Al Washkah NH33–15, Industrial Research Centre, Tripoli, 1978.
Woller, F. and F. Fediuk, Volcanic rocks of Jabal as Sawada, Geol. Libya, 3, 1081–1093, 1980.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Open Access  This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made.
The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder.
To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Saadi, N.M., Watanabe, K., Imai, A. et al. Integrating potential fields with remote sensing data for geological investigations in the Eljufra area of Libya. Earth Planet Sp 60, 539–547 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03353116
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03353116