Remote sensing and gis supported geology of Akbağ Village (Nw Mardin) district

Carbonates around Mardin attract attention due to their economic potential in oil exploration. However, remote sensing and GIS supported research in the region is limited. Therefore, in order to set an example, the detection of Mesozoic aged lithologies in Akbağ (NW Mardin) village and its vicinity by using remote sensing and GIS and their verification by field observations were carried out. Different band ratio algorithms were tested on the ASTER satellite image of the study area and it was revealed that the lithologies spreading in the region were best distinguished with the band ratio RGB composite of R(7+9)/8, G(7+9)/(7+8), B(6+8)/7 ratios, and especially carbonates. The relationship between the geomorphological findings obtained with GIS studies and the distinguished lithologies was determined. The lithologies spreading in the field were checked on site and it was concluded that the proposed method is suitable for such researches.