Landsat-based lithological mapping of the Neoproterozoic rocks in the Egyptian Nubian Shield: Case Study from Wadi Zeidun Area, Central Tectonic Province

Wadi Zeidun area is located south of the Qift-Quseir road, along the western boundary of the Central Eastern Desert (CED). It is covered by a variety of Neoproterozoic rock units, including metaultramafics (both massive and sheared), metagabbros, metavolcanics, volcanoclastic metasediments, arc assemblage, gneissose granite, as well as older and younger granites. These units are unconformably overlain by a post-amalgamation sequence of molasse sediments (Hammamat Group). Post-Hammamat felsites do exist. This study investigates the effectiveness of remote sensing techniques, particularly using Landsat-8 data , fieldwork data and existing geological maps, to map the Neoproterozoic rocks outcropping to the East Wadi Zeidun area. The Landsat-8 data enabled the identification of Hammamat Molasse Sediment, post-Hammamat felsites and granites through the decorrelation stretch of the False Color Composite (FCC) 7:6:5 in RGB. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in RGB (PC4, PC3, PC2) successfully distinguished the post-Hammamat felsites, arc assemblage, younger granite and Hammamat Sediments. Furthermore, specific band ratio combinations (BRC) such as (7/5, 5/4, 6/7) and (4/2, 6/5, 6/7) in RGB distinguished ophiolites, metavolcanics, metasediments, Hammamat Sediments, younger granites, and post-Hammamat felsites. The results obtained from image processing were validated through field verification and ground truthing.