ARSF project ET07/03: Mapping geothermal and epithermal deposits in the Ethopian Rift Valley. Led by: Dr. Graham Ferrier, Department of Geography, University of Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX. Location: Ethiopia.

The Main Ethiopian Rift (MER) was in an advanced stage of evolution associated with modified crust and was an ideal study area for improving understanding of continental break-ups. The MER is associated with bimodal Quaternary magmatism. Field and geochronology data have been used to examine the relationships between acidic volcanoes and basaltic eruptions. The overall aim of this project was to characterise the interaction between the different types (and ages) of magmatism, the different types and distributions of faulting and the distribution of geothermal and epithermal systems in order to gain a better understanding of the tecto-magmatic processes occurring at a continental rift setting. The objectives of this project were : 1. integrate LiDAR-derived DEMs with geological maps derived from processing of hyperspectral/ATM remote sensing datasets to resolve the spatial patterns and interrelationships between the different phases and types of magmatic activity and faulting 2. differentiate the diagnostic minerals representing the hydrothermal alteration zones associated with the geothermal and epithermal deposits 3. integrate the results with Hyperion and ASTER imagery to investigate tecto-magmatic processes and identify locations of geothermal and epithermal systems in other parts of the rift valley