Mapping salt diapirs and salt diapir-affected areas using MLP neural network model and ASTER data

This study employs visible-near infrared and short wave infrared datasets of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer(ASTER)to map salt diapirs and salt diapir-affected areas using Multi-Layer Perceptron(MLP)in the Zagros Folded Belt,Iran,and introduces the role of earth observation technology and a type of digital earth processing in lithological mapping and geo-environmental impact assessment.MLP neural network model with several learning rates between 0.01 and 0.1 was carried out on ASTER L1B data,and the results were compared using confusion matrices.The most appropriate classification image for L1B input to MLP was produced by learning rate of 0.01 with Kappa coefficient of 0.90 and overall accuracy of 92.54%.The MLP result of input data set mapped lithological units of salt diapirs and demonstrated affected areas at the southern and western parts of the Konarsiah and Jahani diapirs,respectively.Field observations and X-ray diffraction analyses of field samples confirmed the dominant mineral phases identified remotely.It is concluded that MLP is an efficient approach for mapping salt diapirs and salt-affected areas.

The Hawaiian Volcanic Hotspot in View of Globally Active Geological, Meteorological and Cosmic Processes

Some volcanic events including flood basalt eruptions and hotspots on earth may strongly be related to (chaotic) Asteroid impacts and (more periodic) near solar system Supernovae explosions. Impacts may define some of the eruption sites and Supernovae, their intensity. The accompanied heat event can lead to a sedimentary basin on top, where a metamorphic process in the lower crust provides a depression at the surface of the earth due to rock volume reduction by water release. The definitely alternating heat event may generally be fixed to the original geographically defined impact site and can certainly last hundreds of Million years. Plate tectonics distribute the relicts of the (tornado like spiraling upwards?) volcanism across the globe. The Hawaiian volcanic hotspot and its possible origin in Northern Australia beginning with the eruptions of Cambrian Antrim flood basalts and a speculative initiating earlier Asteroid impact may act as a further example. Similar to the footprints of astronomical events on climate and life on earth geological processes like volcanism, metamorphism within the earth’s crust and subsequent sedimentary basin development may also be marks of some cosmic influence.