Characterizing lineaments from satellite images and field studies in the central Ebro basin (NE Spain)

In the central part of the Ebro basin, filled with Neogene beds, more than 6000 lineaments have been mapped at a 1 100 000 scale, using a combination of bands 2, 4 and 7 of the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM). With an automatic exploration program, geometric features of the lineament population were analysed, identifying four sets of lineaments trending NW-SE, ESE-WNW, NNE-SSW and NE-SW. Field studies reveal that most lineaments are normal faults. The highest density lies over a lax NW-trending syncline, where the Tertiary thickness is lower and the basement shows NW-trending faulting. It is thus concluded that the lineaments developed as a result of cover deformation above large basement faults.