LITHO-STRUCTURAL MAPPING USING REMOTE SENSING AND FIELD WORK TECHNIQUES: A CASE STUDY FROM CENTRAL SALT RANGE, DISTRICT KHUSHAB PUNJAB PAKISTAN

Litho-structural mapping in an inaccessible rugged and mountainous region like the Central Salt range has frequently been a great challenge and importance for geologists. For this purpose, in the present study, litho-structural mapping was carried out based on enhancement and interpretation of Landsat 8 USGS data by the application of remote sensing and GIS technology and further verified by the data which was collected in field work to the study area. Different band combinations of the image are applied for visual image interpretation to digitize the rock boundaries while as Sobel and Laplacian filtering techniques are utilized for lineament mapping. The purpose of our field work was a comprehensive mapping of Geology and related structural aspects of Kufri, Jhalar, Chamnaki, Surraki, Khura and Naushehra area, Central Salt Range, district Khushab Punjab Pakistan in the Central Salt Range Pakistan. It includes Litho-structural Mapping at scale of 1:10,000. The results and conclusion of this study demonstrate that the processing and interpretation of Satellite data set can be employed as a powerful tool to improve lithological discrimination and enhance the overall mapping performance in the rugged and hilly terrain like Salt range.