AN IMAGE ANALYSIS TECHNIQUE FOR LOCATING OUTCROPS OF THE CRETACEOUS COON CREEK FORMATION

Remote sensing and image analysis have become valuable research tools for many disciplines in geology. The focus of this study develops an image analysis technique for locating outcrops of the Cretaceous Coon Creek Formation in Tennessee. Prior to the image analysis, Coon Creek sediment samples were collected in McNairy County, TN and their mineralogy analyzed using both microscopy and a FieldSpec FR spectroradiometer. Image analysis, based on band ratios with specific reflectances unique to the mineralogy of the Coon Creek sediments, was then applied to two mosaicked LandSat scenes covering the Cretaceous area of western Tennessee. Noise filtering techniques and clustering methods were later used on the processed image to more clearly show locations of larger outcrops. Five georeferenced outcrops identified in the image analysis were visited for ground truth comparison. All five locations were confirmed to be Coon Creek outcrops by ground truth. Using this image analysis, more outcrops can be located and more in situ data collected across this formation. In so doing, a more thorough investigation of the sedimentology, stratigraphy, and paleoecology of the Coon Creek Formation can be possible.