Mapping structural features and predicting areas of probable hydrothermal mineral resources using aeromagnetic and remote sensing data

Aeromagnetic and remote sensing data were used to characterize the lithologic, geologic structures and probable areas of hydrothermal alteration zones in the Marsa Alam area, Eastern Desert of Egypt. The aeromagnetic data was processed and interpreted using several enhancement techniques such as reduction to the pole (RTP), horizontal and vertical derivatives, horizontal gradient magnitude (HGM), tilt angle derivative (TDR), and analytical signal (AS). The results indicated that the NNW, NNE, N-S, NW, NE, E-W, and NE trends are predominant. Furthermore, processing of Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and ASTER remote sensing data allowed mapping of the lithologic characteristics and prediction of the probable areas of hydrothermal alteration zones (HAZs).