Susana Del Pozo Aguilera carried out a research stay at the Delft University of Technology (TuDelft, The Netherlands) to collaborate with the Geoscience and Remote Sensing Department from March to June 2014 under the supervision of Dr. Roderik Lindenbergh.
The stay was mainly focused in the remote sensing, multispectral close-range and characterization of outcrops fields. The specific research topics were:
Satellite remote sensing analysis. The first period was focused on spectral satellite data analysis. The aim of these tests was provide answer to the following questions: What was the best electromagnetic region of the spectrum to discretize sedimentary rocks and what was the most suitable satellite for rock mapping. Images from different satellite (EO1-Hyperion (220 bands: 0.4-2.5 μm), ASTER (14 bands: 0.52-11.65 µm) and Landsat 8 (11 bands: 0.433-12.5 µm)) were tested trying to choose the greater spatial resolution data that were available for the study area (La Motte-Chalancon, France). As a result, 30-m spatial resolution images from Landsat 8 were classified trying to locate outcrops of sedimentary rocks in the area. Finally, results were linked with those obtained in the second period of the stay to draw meaningful conclusions of remote sensing in the field of geology.
Characterization of outcrops by close-range multispectral analysis. During the second period, a particular handheld spectral camera was used covering the VIS-VNIR range to assess its suitability in rocks studies. Hundreds of images of 12 different rock formations were taken during a two weeks stay in the Drôme region in France. The camera was previously calibrated to get physical values (radiances or reflectances) instead of digital levels from the studied surfaces. The spectral range provided by its 6 bands (0.530-0.801 µm) proved challenging and difficult since the SWIR range is the ideal for rocks studies. Good results were finally obtained for the discrimination between limestones and marlstones. In conclusion, the possibilities and limitations of the used camera for distinguishing sedimentary rocks were rigorous analysed and clearly defined.
