Research article · 2021 · Full text
International Journal of Geography Geology and EnvironmentGeo-morphological mapping for land resource assessment study of north western part of Bhopal using remote sensing and GIS technique
Volume 3(2) · Pages 121–127
Research areasGroundwater and Watershed AnalysisRemote Sensing in AgricultureSoil and Land Suitability Analysis
Abstract
Author-writtenGeomorphological mapping, was carried out using IRS-P6 LISS III data of about 713 sq. km area of north western part of Bhopal district, Madhya Pradesh. Present study attempts to identify and delineate geomorphic features based on visual image interpretation technique from digital data. Geomorphic Landforms are interpreted on the basis of interpretation elements like tone, texture, size, shape, color etc. and extract the specific information from the false color composition LISS III sensor images. Geomorphological units are classified on the basis of differential erosion processes. Geomorphic unit namely pediplains, pediments, butte, mesa, cuesta, hogback, plateau, plateau remnant and residual hills mapped using IRS P6 LISS III satellite imagery using visual interpretation technique along with selected field checks. Remote Sensing and GIS offers detecting and analyzing time and cost effective way to fulfill the goal. Limited field transverses were undertaken to verify the interpretation.
Summary
Source-checkedPlain-language reading of the full paper, prepared with AI and checked against the text. Each point links to the authors' own words.
Why it matters
- Geomorphological mapping is essential for land use planning as it identifies the geomorphic units of a specific area. View evidence ↗
- The study area in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, is characterized by an undulating topography within the Malwa plateau, featuring Deccan basaltic rocks and Vindhyan hills. View evidence ↗
- The region's elevation ranges from its lowest point near Phanda block to a peak of approximately 628m above mean sea level at Singar Choli. View evidence ↗
What they did
- The researchers mapped a 713 sq. km area in the northwestern part of the Bhopal district using IRS-P6 LISS III satellite data. View evidence ↗
- Landforms were identified through visual interpretation of false color composition images, focusing on elements such as tone, texture, size, shape, and color. View evidence ↗
- The geomorphological map was generated using GIS software version 10.3, integrating Survey of India (SOI) toposheets and IRS P6 LISS III data. View evidence ↗
- The visual interpretations from satellite data were verified through limited field transverses. View evidence ↗
What they found
- Pediplains were the most extensive landform, covering 244 sq. km, or 34.2% of the study area. View evidence ↗
- Pediments covered 200.1 sq. km, representing 28.1% of the total area. View evidence ↗
- Water bodies occupied a significant portion of the region, covering 166.3 sq. km (23.6%). View evidence ↗
- Among the structural units, Cuestas were the most prominent, covering 25.6 sq. km (3.5%). View evidence ↗
- Man-made features, specifically active quarries, covered 22.8 sq. km (3.2%) of the area. View evidence ↗
- Pediplains are identified as critical for agriculture, horticulture, and infrastructure development due to their thick soil cover. View evidence ↗
- Pediments, covering 200.1 sq. km, are noted as important for industrialization, built-up areas, and plantation. View evidence ↗
What it means
- The authors conclude that the mapped geomorphic units can now be used by local and government authorities to make informed decisions regarding land use planning. View evidence ↗
- The study results are recommended for use in groundwater exploration, disaster management, and geoengineering. View evidence ↗
Visual summary
1 visualsIllustrations explain the paper; they do not show study data.
Visual Interpretation Process
AI-generated conceptual illustration (Northwestern landscape of Bhopal, India). It explains the idea and does not show study data.
View source evidence ↗Figures & tables
From the original paper
Table 1
Figure 1
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Table 2
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Figure 5
Table 2
Table 4
Figure 4
Figure 5Introduction
Remote sensing and GIS tools and techniques are used to identify geomorphic units present in an area and used in mapping because geomorphology is the base of land use planning. Remote Sensing and GIS techniques are very useful for the study of geomorphology. Evaluation of the types of landforms is understand through the preparation of geomorphological map. Bhopal the capital city of Madhya Pradesh is the part of Malwa plateau with an undulating topography. The Vindhyan hills covered a major part of the present area along with the Deccan basaltic rocks. The highest elevation of these hills is about 628m above mean sea level lies at Singar Cholia hillock near Bhopal airport. The lowest elevation is situated near Phanda block. There are several lakes known to occur in Bhopal area of these two famous lakes are Upper and Lower lakes give a beautiful panoramic view to the city. The lake level is at around 500 m while the hills rise up to 604 m above the mean sea level. The Upper Lake is fed through Kolans river flowing through the western side of the city. The Lower Lake is fed by Banganganala from the southeastern side and the outlet is on the northwestern side from below the Pulpukhta and this outlet is fed to the Patranadi which later joins the Halalinadi. Geologically, the Bhopal region consists of the rocks of Vindhyan Supergroup of Late Proterozoic age and Deccan Traps of Cretaceous to Eocene age and Recent Alluvium. The rock formations of Vindhyan Super group comprise of sandstone and shale. The basaltic rock present in the area are the basic volcanics of the Deccan trap volcanic activity and some part is occupied by alluvium and laterite of the recent age. A thick succession of sandstone in Bhopal of Malwa and Bundelkhand region was first named as Vindhyan by Medlicott (1859) [30] . Present area is drained by external drainage. Upper Lake is the major water body of the area. Drainage in the area is controlled mainly by the lithology and structures resulting in the development of two contrasting type of drainages, the Upper Vindhyan sandstone, in general shows coarse textured sub dendritic to sub parallel joint controlled drainage. Deccan Traps show medium textured, well developed dendritic drainage pattern. In the present study satellite remote sensing data has been used to interpret the geomorphic landforms and their characteristics have been discussed. Many workers have done pioneer works in the field of remote sensing with geomorphological application are considered such as Mishra and Choubey (1999) [16] ,
Roy (2000) [18] , Bhan (2000) [3] , Kalluri et al. (2003) [7] , Mishra (2003) [14] Reddy and Maji (2003) [17] , Jaiswal et al. (2005) [6] , Mishra (2010) [15] , Katla and Saxena (2015) etc.
Remote sensing application
Remote sensing as describe earlier is sensing from a distance. The electromagnetic energy after interaction with matter can be recorded by a sensor and the recorded data can be seen as an image or photo depending upon the sensor. The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of energy that ranges from meter to nanometers in wavelength and travels at the speed of light. The spectrum has several windows through which reflected or emitted radiation is recorded in sensor (Sabins 1997) [20] .
Aim and Objectives
The present paper aims to 1. Identify and delineate the geomorphic features based on detailed examinations of satellite image after considering local geology, topography, structures and field visits; and 2. Assess the relationship between the existing geomorphic features and the local land use pattern. Finally this study will provide a very good asset to the people and to the developers who are engaged in this region for landuse planning and developmental purpose.
Study area
The present study area of Bhopal lieson the Survey of India Toposheets no. 55 E/7 and 55E/8. It is bounded by 23˚15' to 23˚30' North latitude and 77˚15' to 77˚30' East longitude covering an area of approximately 522sq. km. the area is the North -Western part of the Bhopal district (Fig. 1). The district is bounded by Guna district on the north, Vidisha district on the northeast, Raisen district on the east, Sehore and Rajgarh districts on the southwest and west respectively. These data were used for the generation of geomorphological map (Table 1). The resolution satellite imagery is 23.5mtrs. and swath is 141km. this data used for mapping on 1:50,000 scale was for the preparation of geomorphology map with the help of GIS software.
Database and Methodology
The geomorphic features were mapped by the visual interpretation technique on the IRS P6 (Resource sat) LISS III image, followed by ground truth verification. The geomorphic features present were interpreted using standard visual interpretation elements, viz. colour, tone, texture, pattern, shape, association etc. The methodology of geomorphic map is shown in Fig. 2. The area was calculated th rough Arc GIS software show in Table 4.
| S.N. | Origin | Geomorphic features | Area (in sq. km.) | Area (in %) | Total area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manmade | Active Quary | 22.8 | 3.2 | 22.8 |
| 2 | Danudational | Butte | 8.6 | 1.20 | 454.6 sq. km. |
| 3 | Mesa | 1.9 | 0.26 | ||
| 4 | Pediments | 200.1 | 28.1 | ||
| 5 | Pediplains | 244 | 34.2 | ||
| 6 | Structural | Cuesta | 25.6 | 3.5 | 69.5 sq. km. |
| 7 | Hogback | 9.0 | 1.2 | ||
| 8 | Plateau | 9.7 | 1.2 | ||
| 9 | Plateau Remnant | 10.6 | 1.4 | ||
| 10 | Residual Mound | 3.3 | 0.46 | ||
| 11 | Escarpment | 11.3 | 1.58 | ||
| 12 | Water body | 166.3 | 23.6 | 166.3 | |
| Total Area | 713 | 100% | 713 sq. km |
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Geomorphological Analysis
The geomorphic units are classified into two broad categories i. e., Denudational and Structural units identified through visual interpretation. The results of the geomorphological mapping have been brought out the presence of different type of geomorphic units and landforms in the area, which have been classified as per their origin and shown in a 3D mosaic (Fig. 3) and listed in table 2.
| Geomorphic Landforms | Tone | Texture | Patterns | Land use/ Land Cover | Relief | Association |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Butte | Light yellowish | Smooth due to flat top | Nearly circular but sometimes elliptical | Sparse bushes | High | Plateaus |
| Cuesta | Brown to light brown | Moderate to finr | Irregular | Waste land | High | Structural plateaus and homocline |
| Hogback | Light brown | Sharp summit | Linear pattern | Shrubs | High | Structural plateaus and homocline |
| Plateau | Light brown to light green | Moderate | Irregular | Agriculture, forest, waste lands | Moderate | Plateaus |
| Mesa | Light red | Smooth | Regular and circular with table top | Scrub, shrubs and forest | Moderate | Plateaus |
| Pediments | Light brown | Coarse and uneven | Often to gentle slop | Dry cultivation at lower part | Low | Plateaus and pediments |
| Pediplains | Reddish due to cultivation grey without cultivation | Fine and uneven | Rectangular & field patterns | Intensive cultivation | Low | Residual hills, butte, pediments |
| Plateau Remnants | Dark red | Smooth | Regular | Scrub and herbs | Moderate | Plateaus |
| Residual Mound | Light brown | Coarse | Irregular | Scrub | Low | Pediplain |
| Active Quarry | Brighter tone due to fresh cut of rock | Rough | Irregular | Minning | Low | Minning |
| Escarpment | Dark red | Rough | Regular | Scrub | Moderate | Plateaus |
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| Geomorphic units | Geomorphic features |
|---|---|
| Anthropogenic | Active Quary |
| Denudational unit | Butte |
| Mesa | |
| Pediments | |
| Pediplains | |
| Structural unit | Cuesta |
| Hogback | |
| Plateau | |
| Plateau Remnant | |
| Residual Mound | |
| Escarpment |
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Characteristics of Geomorphic features
In the present study following geomorphic units were identified from the satellite imagery with the help of Survey of India toposheets (Table 1). The Geomorphological units are interpreted from the LISS III imagery with the help of the image interpretation keys like tone, texture, pattern, association after processing the imagery in Erdas Imagine (Table 3). Geomorphological mapping the first geomorphological map prepared in 1914 but the main demand for the maps came cover form planner after World War II. A geomorphological map must give information about morphology, morphometry, morphogen (origin) morphochronology (the age) of each form. Representation of these details is an involved matter on a single map.
Denudational units
Denudational landforms present mainly in the sedimentary rocks. This type of units form by the combined affect of weathering, erosion and transportation. Units contain mainly pediment, pediplain, mesa and butte. They are identified by the relatively high terrain and further confirmed by the SOI toposheets and field check. Denudational landforms occupying eastern and western portion of the study area cover about 456.6 sq. km. (Fig. 5 and Table 4).
The denudational units may be categorized as follows: Butte is isolated generally flat-topped hill or small mountain with relatively steep slope or precipitous cliffs, often capped with a resistant layer of rock and bordered by talus, and representing an erosion remnant carved from flatlying rocks. Butte shows smooth texture and light brown and green tone on the satellite image. One such Butte is observable in the north of study area (Fig. 4). Mesa is also an isolated nearly level land mass standing distinctly above the surrounding country bounded by abrupt or steeply sloping erosion scarps on all sides, and capped by the layers of resistant, nearly horizontal rocks. Mesa shows smooth texture and light brown and green tone on the satellite image (Fig. 4). The characteristics of landforms are given in Table 4. This landform is visible on the north western part of the area. Pediments are the gentle sloping erosional surfaces developed at the foot of a receding hill or mountain slope, commonly with a slightly concave-upward profile that cross-cuts rock or sediment strata that extend beneath adjacent uplands. About 28% of the area is occupied by the pediments of such pediment is noticeable in the central part The term pediplaines was first proposed by Anderson et al.
(1976) [2] and used to describe a series of coalescing pediments. The pediplaines covered with a thick over burden are referred to as buried plain. Pediplaines are extensively developed in low lying areas associated with hills and pediments. It is identified on image on the basis of its smooth texture, thick vegetation, square shape because of agriculture activity, large aerial extent and also on the basis of thickness of weathered zones. Total area covered by this landform is 34% and is confined to basaltic rocks.
Structural Landforms
These landforms are developed due to effect of tectonic movements and later on modified by erosion. The landforms of this category are observed in the region where Vindhyan sediments are present. They are located in the eastern part of the study area having greenish and reddish tone with rough texture on the satellite image (Fig. 4). Approximately, the area covered is by the 69.5 sq. km. (Table 4). The structural hills representing the geomorphic landform of structural origin present in the southern part of the area. Some of the structural landforms observed in the area are as under:-Hogbacks constituted of long narrow ridges of hills, structurally controlled by the presence of homoclinal sedimentary strata that slopes steeply. Hogbacks are the sharp crested ridges which develop where rock slopes are steep. Hogbacks were identified by the parallel to sub parallel drainage pattern at steep slopes. It stands as prominent ridges and identified by light pink colour (Fig. 4). Hogbacks are present in the northern part of the study area and best seen near Khajuri and Binapur (Fig. 4).
Cuesta is an asymmetric ridge capped by resistant rock layers of slight to moderate dip, commonly less than 10˚ (approximately 15%). It is a homocline type produced by differential erosion of interbedded resistant and weak rocks. It has a long, gentle slope on one side that roughly parallels to the inclined beds, and on the opposite side has a relatively short, steep or cliff like slope that cuts the tilted rocks. It is covering the northern and eastern part of the study area near Manikherikat, Acharpura and Gandhi nagar (Fig. 4).
Escarpments are relatively continuous steep or cliff produced by erosion or faulting, which topographically interrupts or breaks the general continuity of more gently sloping land surfaces. The term is most commonly applied to cliffs produced by differential erosion. Escarpments are generally present along fault scarp in the study area and are observed near T. T. Nagar, Bada talab (Bhopal Lake, Upper Lake) and eastern part of the area. On the FCC image it is seen in dark blue tone and course texture (Fig 4). Plateau is a comparatively flat area of great extent and elevation; specifically an extensive land region considerably elevated (more than 100 meters) above adjacent lower lying terrain, and is commonly limited on at least one side by an abrupt descent has a flat or nearly level surface. A comparatively large part of a plateau surface is near summit level. In the study area, a large part of the eastern area is covered with this landform (Fig. 4).
Plateau Remnant
A topographic feature that remains or is left standing above the general land surface after erosion has reduced the surrounding area; eg. A monadnock or a butte. Remnants are observable as a landform in eastern part of the area (Fig. 4). Active Quary is manmade feature it is a shallow mining structures it shown in northern part of the area (Fig. 4).
Result and discussion
Geomorphology is the science and study of landforms on the earth. Both the disciplines are exhaustively covered in literature (Blaschke, T., 2010). Today all land use planning processes in most of the countries are based on geomorphological units (Dragut, L., Blaschke, T., 2006).
The detailed geomorphological mapping of the area has revealed the presence of various landforms. They are mostly formed due to denudational, depositional and also the structural processes. Active quarry, Butte, Cuesta, Hogback, Mesa, Pediments, Pedi plains, Plateau, Plateau Remnant, Residual Mound and Escarpment present in the study area are shown in (Fig. 4) and Table 2.
Conclusion
The geomorphological units interpreted from the LISS III imagery with the help of the image interpretation keys like tone, texture, pattern, association after processing the imagery in Erdas Imagine. For future land use planning, it is necessary to understand the existing geomorphic units and extents. Remote Sensing and GIS have capability to mapping geomorphic units (G. P. Obi Reddy, A. K. Maji., 2003) [17] . The geomorphic units mapped from satellite image as structural hills eastern parts, residual hills western and south western portions, pediments eastern margin and in the southern portion, Pedi plain western and north eastern, alluvial plain central and western portions of the map. Now based on mapped geomorphic units local and government authority can make decision to land use planning for human activities.
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