Detection of Iron-Rich Zones Developed By Skarnification In The Cemisgezek-Pertek (Tunceli) Region Using Remote Sensing Methods

The study area is located in the Eastern Taurus Belt, north of the Keban Reservoir Lake, between the districts of Pertek and Çemişgezek in the province of Tunceli. In the Eastern Taurus Belt, mineralizations are widespread associated with the intrusion of magmatic intrusions into carbonate-rich rocks. The studied zone reflects mineral associations that developed primarily due to iron-bearing minerals associated with skarn formations. The skarn formations developed between the Keban Metamorphics (Permo-Triassic) and the Pertek Granitoid (late Cretaceous) are approximately E-W trending and observed in a narrow line in the region. The most common iron-bearing mineral groups in the area are mainly found as magnetite or ilmenite, as alteration minerals are limonite, hematite ± actinolite. Remote sensing methods were tested to support classical methods in tracking the distribution and traces of these mineralizations. In this context, work was carried out to detect iron-rich zones (FeOx) along the Pertek-Çemişgezek (Tunceli) line. The composite images were used for this region, referencing known iron zones, by the ASTER satellite and image enhancement methods. Accordingly, the main target areas in the southern part of Tunceli province were determined as Köçek Village, Çemişgezek Ferry Terminal in the southwest, the area between Kolankaya and Çataksu in the southeast, and the area bounded by Tozkoparan in the northeast. The image from the ASTER satellite (AST_L1T) was cropped according to the study area, and all work was performed on this dataset. The cropped image set has been limited to fit the workspace. All work was performed using the VNIR and SWIR bands of the ASTER images. Radiometric corrections were made on the relevant dataset, and spectral anomalies were minimized. The VNIR spectral bands, which have a 15-meter ground resolution, were downsampled to a 30-meter ground resolution and balanced with the SWIR spectral bands. By comparing with known ground control points, RGB composite images showing the iron-rich zones in the region were created using different band combinations. As a result, it was determined that VNIR Band 2 / VNIR Band 1, SWIR Band 6, and VNIR Band 3 had the best combinations. In the controls performed, a 94% correlation was tested over the observation points and known iron occurrences. Ultimately, known mineralized zones were found to contain both iron-bearing and iron-rich zones. They were observed primarily Ayazpinari iron (Fe) occurrences, Ballıdut FeOx Alterations, and Çemişgezek Elazığ Road Cut FeOx alterations by both satellite observations and field verification studies. 

Note: This study was supported by Fırat University project MF-25.09.