Characterizing Internal Structure of Surface Geology using Image Fusion of Cross-Polarized SAR Data

Characterizing Internal Structure of Surface Geology using Image Fusion of Cross-Polarized SAR Data

Asep Saepuloh1 and Manda Marcella2

1Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, ITB-Indonesia

2Undergraduate student of Faculty of Earth Sciences and Technology, ITB-Indonesia

email: saepuloh @gc.itb.ac.id

 

 

Abstract

 

Surface geology identification under Torrid Zone using conventional optical remote sensing encountered some problem due to the atmospheric and surface conditions such as clouds, intensive weathering, and canopy vegetation. Overcoming the problem, we exploited the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to characterize geological structures within a geological formation. The cross-polarized data of the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) onboard the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) was fused using an optical sensor data. A reverse fusion technique was proposed to characterize ground surface. The characterization process is focused to the influence of backscattering intensity derived from cross-polarized SAR data. The Rajamandala Carbonate Complex (RCC) in West Java was selected as study area. The histogram of cross-polarized backscattering intensity is distributed normally with standard deviation about 4.5 dB. According to the reverse fusion result, we could characterize the RCC into four zones. The low and high bacscattering intensities are related to density of geological structures. This study can be used to characterize detail surface geology, even though within single rock formation.

 

PROCEEDINGS

PIT HAGI 39

SOLO, 13