Modeling radioactive anomalies using satellite and the radiometry data in geographic information system (GIS): a case study in west province Kerman

Abstract

Nowadays, one of the essential needs of human societies is the need for energy. Our country has also turned to new sources of energy supplies, i.e., the establishment of nuclear power plants in the direction of industrialization and energy supply. In this research we are reporting the discovery of radioactive elements in the western part of Kerman province. The study area is located at 160 km southwest of Kerman and 40 km north of Sirjan. This range is longitudinal, 55° 30' 00'' - 56° 00' 00'' eastern and 55° 30' 00'' - 56° 00' 00'' north latitude in 100,000 sheet of Pariz geological map. In this study, various methods such as mixture tuned matched filtering (MTMF), and orthogonal subspace projection (OSP) were applied for the process of the remote sensing data, and single-variable methods were also used to process the radiometric data. The results have indicated the high potential of the Sentinel 2 in showing the alterations associated with the uranium deposits. Also, due to the geology of the area and the alteration holes and the cross-sectional study of the mixture tuned matched filtering regulation, the MTMF method has been able to show the argillic alteration in the Sentinel 2. According to the geology of the area, these images have the proper potential to separate sandstones and silica gravel from other units. Finally, the promising areas for radioactive elements were identified and preserved. Also, due to the process validation, the previous field surveys from the area were also investigated, and the presence of high levels of radioactive elements in the area was confirmed.

Keywords

• geographic information system
• satellite data
• radiometry
• radioactive anomalies