Integration of airborne geophysical and ASTER remotely sensed data for delineation and mapping the potential mineralization zones in Hamash area, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

The advancement of geophysical methods and remote-sensing techniques, with improved processing models in recent years, encourage for further applied research in gold exploration and other associated elements and becoming useful tools for the exploration of new occurrences. The main objective of this research paper is to explore and map the hydrothermal alteration zones associated with gold mineralization in the Hamash area based on airborne geophysical (aeromagnetic and airborne gamma-ray spectrometry) and ASTER remote sensing data. For this purpose, ASTER and geophysical data are processed by different techniques including band ratios, minimum noise fraction, Crosta techniques, constrained energy minimization and F-parameter maps which allow for discriminating different rock units and delineating hydrothermal alteration zones. Furthermore, structural lineaments of surface and shallow-seated are effectively extracted and auto-mapped using ASTER and magnetic data. The potential mineral favourability map consists of F-parameter, interpreted structural lineaments, MNF, band ratio (4/8, 4/2, and 8/9), Crosta technique and CEM maps are combined through GIS model, by the application of fuzzy overlay analysis. This enabled to locate and map the areas of maximum potentiality of mineral favourability sites that occur in central and north-eastern parts within the Hamash area.