Investigation of Geometrical extent of geologic formation in the Southwestern Sokoto Basin Nigeria: Airborne and Landsat 8 Classification

High-resolution airborne geophysical datasets from part of the southwestern Sokoto basin, northwestern Nigeria, were utilized to characterize lithological units and map their geometrical extent. The major lithological features interpreted from Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) images and total magnetic intensity data facilitate the identification of variations in minerals and lithological units, including quartz, biotite gneiss, biotite granite, feldspathic sandstone, sandstone, ironstone, granite gneiss, and migmatite. The radiometric ternary map displayed geologic features quite similar to those on the Landsat 8, magnetic, and geological maps of the study area. 3D Euler deconvolution corroborated the SOURCE PARAMETER IMAGING (SPI) for estimated depth to concealed magnetic sources range within ≤ 200 m, 317.7 m to 500 m, and above 780 m, for shallow to intermediate and deeper depths, respectively. Euler solutions for the structural index (SI) of 0 and 1 revealed a perfect cluster along notable geologic features such as faults, shear zones, and lithological boundaries, mapped using the OLI multispectral band, lateral lithological boundaries, and the vertical geometry of the geologic formation within the southwestern part of the Sokoto basin. The research highlighted the advantages of utilizing airborne and multispectral datasets to achieve a more comprehensive characterization of the lithological units exposed at the surface.