Dual-frequency multi-polarimetric SAR as a tool for palaeo-drainage mapping in the Northern Cape Province

An assessment is made of SIR-C data and its usefulness in the detection and mapping of buried, abandoned meanders of the lower Orange River. Numerous image-processing techniques were tested on the data as a means of enhancing these palaeo-channels for detection. A comparison is made with Landsat TM imagery, and fusion of the two data sets is also assessed as an exploration tool. The main conclusion reached was that the penetration depth of the microwave radiation was not sufficient for the radar to be a significantly more useful tool in this particular environment; an environment where the channels have been buried to a depth greater than a few metres, and where the climate cannot be considered to be hyper-arid. The texture discrimination capabilities of the radar were more useful in this case study than any ground penetration that might have occurred.