Evaluation and Detection of Geothermal Potential Zones in Yankari Park, South- Central Part of Bauchi State, North-Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Exploiting geothermal (GT) resources requires first and foremost locating suitable areas for its development. The focus of this paper is to explore the applicability of mapping GT related anomalies by identifying mineralogy and lithological features at regional scale using image enhancement techniques on Landsat 8 satellite data. A combination of established Band ratios from literature were implemented on Landsat 8 optical bands using innovative digital image processing and knowledge-based spectral information extraction techniques which enhanced surface mineralogy and possible alteration areas of interest. The results indicate that ratios using bands; 7/4, 6/3, 5/7 and 6/7, 4/3, 5/6 and 7/5, 5/4, 6/7 respectively as RGB, were unique but corroborative in enhancing and identifying; clay rich rocks, iron oxides, micas, carbonates and possible hydrothermal alteration zones related to GT anomaly. The results could have implication for GT exploration in especially unexplored regions where expensive airborne surveys are unaffordable.

Keywords: Band ratios, Landsat 8 (OLI), Geothermal, Minerals