Quantification of geologic lineaments by manual and machine processing techniques

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of operator variability and subjectivity in lineament mapping and to examine methods to minimize or eliminate these problems by use of several machine preprocessing methods. LANDSAT scenes from the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma and the Colorado Plateau were analyzed as test cases. Four geologists mapped lineaments on an Anadarko Basin scene, using transparencies of MSS bands 4-7, and their results are compared statistically. The total number of fractures mapped by the operators and their average lengths varied considerably, although comparison of lineament directions revealed some consensus. A summary map (785 linears) produced by overlaying the maps generated by the four operators showed that only 0.4% were recognized by all four operators, 4.7% by three, 17.8% by two and 77% by one operator. Two methods of machine aided mapping were tested, both simulating directional filters. One consists of computer (digital) processing of CCTs using edge enhancement algorithms, the other employs a television (analog) scanning of an image transparency which superimposes the original image and one offset in the direction of the scan line.