The Hough transform algorithm coupled with spatial filtering for the study of geological structuring control on the drainage network: application to the North Oulmes region, Morocco

In a changing climate, the more we understand the drainage networks distribution and structuration, the more we can better predict flood risks, and ensure better water resource management. The identification of geological lineaments is a basic approach for the study and analysis of surficial geological structuring that potentially controls the drainage networks distribution and subsurface water resources. Taking the North Oulmes region in Morocco as an example, an automatic lineament detection algorithm based on the Hough transform has been applied to the Landsat 8 OLI and Sentinel-1 SAR data. This technique was coupled with spatial filtering and field data with the aim of identifying surface geological structures that may control the drainage network. This study also presents an analysis of the drainage network which concerns the identification of similarities between its structuring and geological lineaments, through the analysis of rose diagrams and the identification of the different drainage network patterns. The results show that the geological lineaments identified by the algorithm are very satisfactory, geologically significant, and represent continuity toward the surface of the underlying structures. The findings of this study also show that the conformation of the drainage network characteristics with the geological structures and the rectangular and trellis drainage patterns observed in the study area indicate that the distribution and structuring of the drainage network is mainly controlled by the geological structures trending NE-SW resulting from the Hercynian tectonic event.