Method for identifying sedimentary bodies from images and its application to mineral exploration

• US 6,985,606 B1
• Filed: 08/01/2002
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NASA Johnson Space Center (Government of the United States of America), US Government As Represented By The Director National Security Agency
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Inventors: Wilkinson, Murray Justin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Kanjibhai
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tabatabai, Abolfazl
• Application Number:
  US10/212,579
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 382/100, 382/109, 382/113, 348/85, 356/241.1, 356/237.4, 356/237.5, 73/616.5, 731/703.2, 737/84
• US Class Current: 382/109
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 20/00 Geomodelling in general
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/64 Geostructures, e.g. in 3D data cubes
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 2210/661 Model from sedimentation process modeling, e.g. from first principles
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/13 Satellite images

Abstract

A method is disclosed for identifying a sediment accumulation from an image of a part of the earth'"'"'s surface. The method includes identifying a topographic discontinuity from the image. A river which crosses the discontinuity is identified from the image. From the image, paleocourses of the river are identified which diverge from a point where the river crosses the discontinuity. The paleocourses are disposed on a topographically low side of the discontinuity. A smooth surface which emanates from the point is identified. The smooth surface is also disposed on the topographically low side of the point.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method for identifying a sediment accumulation from an image of a part of the earth'"'"'s surface, comprising:

identifying a topographic discontinuity from the image;

identifying a river which crosses the discontinuity from the image;

identifying, from the image, distributary features of the river which diverge from a point where the river crosses the discontinuity, the distributary features disposed on a topographically low side of the discontinuity; and

identifying a smooth surface which emanates from the point, the smooth surface disposed on the topographically low side.

2. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein a roughness of the smooth surface is at most about 10 meters vertical difference per 2000 meters horizontal difference.

3. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein a radius of the smooth surface is at least about 80 kilometers.

4. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein a radius of the smooth surface is at least about 300 kilometers.

5. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein a declivity of the river is at most about 0.6 degrees.

6. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the image comprises an aerial photograph.

7. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the image comprises a space photograph.

8. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the image comprises a contour map.

9. The method as defined in claim 8 wherein the contour map is generated from stereoscopic analysis of aerial photographs of the part of the earth'"'"'s surface.

10. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying the discontinuity comprises determining a difference in color.

11. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying the discontinuity comprises determining a difference in apparent reflectivity.

12. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying the discontinuity comprises determining a difference in elevation.

13. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying the discontinuity comprises determining a difference in elevation gradient.

14. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying the river comprises identifying a color associated with river water.

15. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the identifying the river comprises identifying a surface reflectivity associated with river water.

16. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the distributary features comprise paleocourses, the identifying the paleocourses comprises identifying a color similar to a color of a bed of the river.

17. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the distributary features comprise paleocourses, the identifying the paleocourses comprises identifying a surface reflectivity similar to a surface reflectivity of a bed of the river.

18. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the distributary features comprise paleocourses, the identifying the paleocourses comprises identifying a color similar to a color of a bed of the river, the similar color also determined to be different than a color of an area surrounding the identified similar color.

19. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the distributary features comprise paleocourses, the identifying the paleocourses comprises identifying features having a sinuosity substantially the same as a sinuosity of the river.

20. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the distributary features comprise paleocourses, the identifying the paleocourses comprises identifying features having a width substantially the same as a width of the river.

21. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the topographic discontinuity comprises a fault.

22. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the topographic discontinuity comprises a boundary between an orogenic belt and a foreland basin.

23. The method as defined in claim 1 wherein the topographic discontinuity comprises a boundary between an area which is elevated with respect to an elevation profile of a river and an area which is depressed with respect to the elevation profile of the river.