U.S.-Egypt Cooperative Research: Structural and Tectonic Evolution of El-Fayum Depression, North Western Desert, Egypt Based on Analysis of Landsat TM, SIR-C/X-SAR and SRTM data

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0422611KuskyDescription: This award is to support cooperative research between Dr. Timothy M. Kusky, Department of Earth Sciences, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri and Dr. Talaat M. Ramadan, Department of Geology, National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS), Cairo, Egypt. Orbital remote sensing technology has progressed to advanced levels of practical application, particularly with respect to optical and radar imagery. Orbital optical imagery can be utilized to map lithological details as well as for identifying mineral deposits. Imaging radar is useful in mapping structures as well as estimating surface roughness, which can be used to identify lithology. New orbital sensors are planned for the next few years to obtain better spectral and spatial resolution and new data. In addition, recent data from the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) has successfully imaged and mapped the topography of the Earth's surface between 60'N and 60'S using C-band (6 cm wavelength) radar. These data will be uniquely powerful for characterizing active tectonic and geomorphological features, and for monitoring geological hazards and environmental changes. In this study we propose to link some methods of utilizing satellite imagery with new, potentially more powerful remote sensing techniques and higher resolution active sensor SAR images to delineate structures in order to understand the tectonic evolution and hazards within the seismically active El-Fayum Depression. The produced maps will allow study of areas being considered for development projects and exploration of the yet unexplored tracts of the Western Desert. The PI has experience in geologic studies on NE Africa, Arabia, Madagascar, China, and other arid regions, and in using orbital remote sensing data to solve geologic problems in arid regions. Dr. Kusky and Dr. Ramadan attended a US-Egypt Workshop on Priorities of Desert Studies, held in Cairo from Feb. 22-28, 1998, and have since published several papers together on utilizing remote sensing techniques for geological applications, and have completed a reconnaissance remote sensing study of El-Fayum area. Scope and broad impact: Senior scientists from the US and Egypt will be working with Junior Egyptian scientists and with US and Egyptian students, integrating existing remote sensing and field techniques with the development of new techniques for integrating different data types for geological and hazards assessments. In the past, this team has derived new satellite image analysis techniques for mineral resource and ground water exploration, and now they will focus their efforts on geologic hazards assessment, land use, development, and tectonic evolution. Understanding the geological hazards in this developing area will be of great use to the local population, and the development of new techniques for hazards monitoring and geologic studies will be of broader use to society. The project involves US and Egyptian Universities, governments' organizations, and scientists ranging from senior faculty to undergraduate lab assistants. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.