The potential of low-resolution radar imagery in regional geologic studies.
Low resolution side-looking radar application for geological studies, noting advantage over small scale aerial photography
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Low resolution side-looking radar application for geological studies, noting advantage over small scale aerial photography
Photographs taken by astronauts as part of Synoptic Terrain Photography Experiment including geological features such as Sonora Desert, Agua Blanca and Gulf of Aden
The bibliography contains citations concerning the use of remote sensing in geological resource exploration. Technologies discussed include thermal, optical, photographic, and electronic imaging using ground-based, aerial, and satellite-borne devices. Analog and digital techniques to locate, classify, and assess geophysical features, structures, and resources are also covered. Application of remote sensing to petroleum and minerals exploration is treated in a separate bibliography. (Contains 50-250 citations and includes a subject term index and title list.)
Topographic information is required for many Earth Science investigations. For example, topography is an important element in regional and global geomorphic studies because it reflects the interplay between the climate-driven processes of erosion and the tectonic processes of uplift. A number of techniques have been developed to analyze digital topographic data, including Fourier texture analysis. A Fourier transform of the topography of an area allows the spatial frequency content of the topography to be analyzed. Band-pass filtering of the transform produces images representing the amplitude of different spatial wavelengths. These are then used in a multi-band classification to map units based on their spatial frequency content. The results using a radar image instead of digital topography showed good correspondence to a geologic map, however brightness variations in the image unrelated to topography caused errors. An additional benefit to the use of Fourier band-pass images for the classification is that the textural signatures of the units are quantative measures of the spatial characteristics of the units that may be used to map similar units in similar environments.
The information content that can be derived from spectroscopic imagery tends to increase with finer ground sampling distance, finer spectral sampling, more frequent revisit, and higher signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). However, these parameters are not independent, and it is thus impossible to design a space-borne imaging spectrometer to maximize all of them simultaneously. We present an instrument model and simulation environment that enable us to find the optimal combination of these four mission design parameters, using intrinsic dimensionality (ID) as the metric. ID is the size of the signal subspace – the maximum degrees of freedom when noise can be disregarded – and is a metric that is independent of any one particular algorithm or application area. This study is important for upcoming missions such as NASA's Earth System Observatory mission to study the Earth's Surface Biology and Geology (SBG), which will comprise a visible to shortwave infrared spectrometer in addition to a multi-channel thermal radiometer on a separate platform. When evaluating a desert site and a tropical forested site, we find that spectral resolution drives information content, with a significant drop in normalized ID (15–45% decrease) when simulating 15 nm spectral sampling as opposed to 10 nm spectral sampling. However, there was some variation between sites, with the forested site benefiting from 5 nm spectral sampling, whereas the desert site had poorer results at this resolution, due to the impact on noise. At 10 nm spectral sampling, ground sampling distances in the range 30–50 m provided the optimal balance between spatial resolution and SNR, although more frequent revisit, potentially by combining data from multiple missions, would maximize total information content.
Age of the moon, chemical composition, geological aspects, stress and cooling history
High resolution electronic camera mounted on spacecraft for geological survey of planet Mars
Survey on possible lunar surface measurements, experiments, and geological studies for Apollo missions
Fine structure and geological analysis of lunar surface from Ranger VIII and IX photographs
Abrasive techniques for lunar and planetary geological sampling
Geologic applications of orbital photography with illustrations from Gemini flights
Sampling requirements for in situ geological and biological analysis of planetary surface rocks by unmanned spacecraft
Lunar geologic exploration and transmission of data to earth
Relationship of geologic time and days per lunar month to growth patterns in fossil and recent molluscan shells
Geologic interpretation of infrared imagery of Lake Pend Oreille area in Idaho
Infrared photography of surficial geology of Yellowstone Park
Geological terrain photography during Gemini flights
Geologic characteristics of nine lunar landing mission sites recommended by Group for Lunar Exploration Planning