Overview

Petroleum and mineral resources play a major role in the daily lives of most of the world's population. Geological exploration and mapping activities include the search for these untapped resources. Satellite data is highly useful as it provides both synoptic and detailed coverage of any location on the Earth's surface.

For the geology sector, RADARSAT-1 data is used for both onshore and offshore exploration and mapping. RADARSAT-1 data is used to monitor and detect oil seeps - reducing the risk and cost of drilling. It is also used to derive geophysical terrain information, such as surface roughness, which is useful for understanding processes such as bedrock weathering and the sorting of unconsolidated solid materials.

The most significant improvements of RADARSAT-2 over other radar and optical systems for geological applications will be its Ultra-fine resolution and fully polarimetric capabilities. These features will provide benefits such as more detailed mapping of terrain features or fine geological structures, better identification of structural features and improved discrimination of different geologic units.