Skylab spacecraft stereoscopic photography of the Alice Springs and Snowy Mountains regions of Australia was studied by conventional photogeological techniques to assess its usefulness in geological mapping. In the arid Alice Springs region, which has well exposed sedimentary rocks and relatively simple structures, broad rock units can be differentiated and correlated, and rock trends, joints and folds interpreted with the same accuracy as that shown on the 1:500 000 scale geological map of the region. The distribution of Cainozoic travertine and other surficial materials can be interpreted with sufficient reliability to allow updating of 1:250 000 scale geological maps. In the more humid Snowy Mountains region, where the geology-to-morphology relationships are complex and varied, little lithological information can be obtained: only Tertiary volcanic rocks and alluvium can be identified and outlined with confidence. The Skylab photographs proved more useful for structural interpretations: faults, lineaments and joint trends can be detected. Several circular structures can be related to features of igneous origin. Statistical analysis of linear features revealed a direct relationship between known structural trends and linear features annotated on low resolution Skylab photographs.
