DELINEATION OF MINERAL POTENTIAL ZONE USING GIS IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF LIBYA

The powerful tools of Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) have significantly
contributed to the modern geological mapping and mineral exploration by enhancing, interpretation and integration
of various geological datasets. Integration of remote sensing and airborne magnetic data with other geological data
sets are the most promising and cost-effective method to add new structural and lithological aspects to the map of the
geology in a diverse geological province as in the area of current research. This is due to the fact that all the geosciences
information together with pre-processed remotely sensed data can be used as evidence to delineate possible areas for further study and more investigation (Chang-Jo & Fabbri 1993). The study area is a belt of Upper Devonian sedimentary formation including iron ore bearing layers, which extend over about 160km, in ENE-WSW direction, on the northern border of the Murzuq Basin. The study area is located in the western central part of Libya within the bounder’s 27º South and 28º North Latitude and 12º to 16º East-longitude covering an area of nearly 40,000km2. This study examines
the integration of aeromagnetic data with remote sensing to discover any probable extensions of iron ore deposits and any associated minerals in the area of study. The study involves analysis of magnetic data to delineate geological structures, faults and to extract important information about the locations of buried magnetic bearing rocks. Spatial data integration and analysis for the study area and predicting mineral potential were carried out on the available digital remote sensing data (Landsat ETM+).