Textural and lineament analysis of a low quality digital SIR-B image taken in a mountainous area in New Zealand

Abstract The first synthetic aperture radar image of New Zealand covered an area of mountain ranges in the North Island. These ranges comprise Mesozoic greywacke and argillite and are flanked by Tertiary marine sediments and mantled with Holocene tephras. Variations in radar image texture delineated areas of different lithology and induration with some success. However, reasons for many of the textural variations are unknown but might relate to vegetation. The image also clearly depicts major faults where these have a significant effect on the topography, but no new fault lines were identified.