article · Geomechanics and Geophysics for Geo-Energy and Geo-Resources
Mineral exploration in Saudi Arabia requires comprehensive evaluation of regional geological data. This study mapped hydrothermal alteration zones and structural lineaments controlling mineral occurrences in the Nuqrah region by combining ASTER satellite data and aeromagnetic surveys. The satellite imagery was processed through principal component analysis, band ratios, and false-colour composites, while aeromagnetic data were evaluated using derivative and regional-residual separation techniques. Integrating these sources within a geographic information system generated a mineralisation potential map divided into low, moderate, and high probability zones. The analysis identified thirteen high-potential anomalies across the study area and established six dominant fault trends that regulate mineralisation, most notably north-west to south-east. Validated against known mineral sites, this approach offers a structured method for regional mineral targeting.
Identifying new mineral deposits over vast landscapes is typically time-consuming and expensive. By combining satellite imagery with aeromagnetic mapping, this approach enables exploration teams to accurately detect alteration zones and subterranean fault systems without immediate ground disruption. This helps focus exploration budgets, reducing the search area and improving the efficiency of resource identification in under-explored terrains.
The primary users of this work are mineral exploration companies and national geological surveys seeking to de-risk exploration programmes. The workflow is applied and tested, having successfully delineated thirteen specific prospecting anomalies verified against existing deposits. It is ready for operational adoption as an early-stage prospecting tool to guide field exploration and drilling campaigns in arid regions.
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Lately, Saudi Arabia has been developing its mineral exploration. However, comprehensive studies of the collected data are not accessible. Thus, the purpose of this research is to identify and map the hydrothermal alteration zones and structural lineaments that regulate the mineral occurrences in the Nuqrah region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia using remote sensing and aeromagnetic data. To achieve the desired goal of the study, ASTER remote sensing data were employed, and they were processed in several ways, including principal component analysis, band ratio, and false color composites to reveal the zones of alteration and structure lineaments. In addition, aeromagnetic data was employed to map the lineaments controlling the mineralization. These datasets were integrated using GIS tools to generate a new mineralization potential map of the Nuqrah area, which was classified into three classes: low, moderate, and high probability mineralization. The results showed thirteen intriguing anomalies (high potential mineralization) dispersed over the research area to be prospected. Additionally, techniques such as residual, regional, first vertical derivative, and tilt derivative were utilized to detect the potential mineral-related geologic structures. The results were validated by plotting known mineralization sites on our maps. Six significant faulting trends have been found, according to the lineament map and rose diagrams from remote sensing: NE–SW, WNW–ESE, N–S, ENE–WSW, NNE–SSW, NW–SE, and E–W. The research region is most affected by the NW–SE, ENE–WSW, E–W, and N–S trends, which are organized in decreasing order of magnitude, according to the rose diagram of the aeromagnetic maps. The applied approach can be employed to map potential mineral deposits in Saudi Arabia and similar zones around the globe.
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DOI: 10.1007/s40948-024-00844-z
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