Application of Thermal Remote Sensing Technique for Mapping ofUltramafic, Carbonate and Siliceous Rocks using ASTER Data in Southern Rajasthan, India

In the present study, thermal remote sensing technique and ASTER data have been used to delineate ultramafic, carbonate and siliceous rocks. The study gains importance as mineralized carbonate and ultramafic rocks are present in the southern region of Rajasthan, India between Udaipur and Dungarpur districts. The rocks in the study area include phyllites, mica schist, chlorite schist, quartzite, dolomite, granite, granitoids, gneiss and intrusive serpentinite. ASTER thermal bands were used to map ultramafics, siliceous and carbonate rocks on a scale of 1 : 380,000. Delineation of ultramafics was done using MRI-AV and MI-N indices, however the former provided a more informative map compared to the latter. QRIAV, QI-N and QI-RH indices were used for mapping siliceous rock. QI-RH provided a more informative map compared to QRI-AV and QI-N. The index used for carbonate rocks was CI-N, but this did not provide a satisfactory map.