Integration of airborne magnetic and satellite imagery data to identify potential zones of iron occurrences using the prediction-area plot in the Esfordi area

The use of different geospatial layers In the exploration and determination of the mineralization zones, will lead to more reliable results. In this study, the investigation of iron mineralization zones was done using airborne magnetic data and three types of satellite images (i.e. ASTER, Landast-8 and Sentinel-2) in the Esfordi area. The reduced-to-pole filter, the upward continuation at altitudes of 200, 500 and 1000 meters, the analytic signal, the horizontal tilt angle, and the first vertical derivative were then employed on airborne magnetometry data. Argillic, phyllic and propylitic alterations, iron oxide and gossan zones and structural lineaments were extracted through satellite imagery data processing. The analytical signal and horizontal tilt angle indicators were used as the main geophysics footprints to identify the magmatic intrusions and geological lineaments, respectively. In addition, three satellite imagery indicators were used in final identification of iron-bearing zones. The weight of each layer was calculated by simultaneous analyses of the concentration-area fractal curve, the prediction-area plot, and the use of 22 Fe-bearing occurrences in the studied region. Note that the analytical signal layer with the prediction rate of 76 % has the highest weight among all layers. In other words, this layer has occupied 24% of the study area as favorable zones by which 76% of the known Fe occurrences are delineated. Iron ore potential map was prepared from integration of all geospatial indicators through the weighted multi-class index overlay method. The generated map has an intersection point with a prediction rate of 78% which has higher weight than the other individual indicators. According to this map, new iron mineralization potentials are observed in the east and southeast of the Esfordi area.