LINDENS: A program for lineament length and density analysis

Analysis of lineaments from satellite images normally includes the determin ation of their orientation and density. The spatial variation in the orient ation and/or number of lineaments must be obtained by means of a network of cells, the lineaments included in each cell being analysed separately. The program presented in this work, LINDENS, allows the density of lineaments (number of lineaments per km(2) and length of lineaments per km2) to be est imated. It also provides a tool for classifying the lineaments contained in different cells, so that their orientation can be represented in frequency histograms and/or rose diagrams. The input file must contain the planar co ordinates of the beginning and end of each lineament. The density analysis is done by creating a network of square cells, and counting the number of l ineaments that are contained within each cell, that have one of their ends within the cell or that cross-cut the cell boundary. The lengths of lineame nts are then calculated. To obtain a representative density map the cell si ze must be fixed according to: (1) the average lineament length; (2) the di stance between the lineaments; and (3) the boundaries of zones with low den sities due to lithology or outcrop features. An example from the Neogene Du ero Basin (Northern Spain) is provided to test the reliability of the densi ty maps obtained with different cell sizes. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.