Generation of thermal inertia image over a part of Gujarat: A new tool for geological mapping

Thermal inertia is a volume property and can be used to detect the subsurface features in an alluvium-covered area. A thermal inertia image has been generated over a part of Gujarat using consecutive day and night NOAA-AVHRR data. Gujarat contains two important rift basins in the western margin of India, namely, Cambay and Kutch basins. Major land covers exist in this region are alluvium, continental sediments, various rocks of Mesozoic and Cenozoic origin followed by Deccan Volcanics, tertiary and quaternary deposits. Validation of thermal inertia parameters with existing values obtained from literature indicates the efficacy of the developed technique. The study indicates that thermal inertia image can be used as a new method for geologic mapping/basin delineation where exposure is less or contrast is negligible between litho-units using traditional photography/sensing techniques.