Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/cviu Assessment of groundwater potential zones using remote sensing and GIS techniques in the upper crocodile river basin, Johannesburg Mulalo Netsianda*Professor Tamiru Abiye School of Geoscience, University of the Witwatersrand, Private BagX3, Wits 2050, Johannesburg, South Africa Abstract Despite the complexity of the Upper Crocodile River Basin’s geology, which is underlain by crystalline rocks, identification of groundwater potential zones has not been conducted in the area. Therefore, a standard methodology that includes Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) was applied to determine promising areas of groundwater potential zones. Parameters such as topographical, geological, land-cover, vegetation, drainage density, lineament density, geomorphological and hydrological were identified, analyzed and interpreted in relation to factors that influence the natural occurrence of groundwater. Based on the revealed results of GIS and ILWIS techniques, the lineaments of the study area proved to be corresponding to the orientation of the existing geological data. Visible near Infrared of ASTER Data offers a significant advantage in the output of lineament extraction. W-E and N-S trending lineaments and SW-NS-SSE are considered to be the main secondary porosity of groundwater potential zones in the study area. Outcrop of weathered zones, local base erosion, soil associations, local topography and land-use cover; display the characteristics of groundwater potential zones. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Delineation and Groundwater potential zones, Image processing, Weighted overlay Introduction Water, or rather the lack of it, is a pressing concern, which has emerged as an important use of natural resource in meeting most of the human basic needs and thus of life in every part of the world (Postel, 1992). According to the growing understanding of the use of this resource, no ad-equate sustainable development, which is water-dependent, is possible without understanding the key properties underpinning the hydrological system of this natural resource (Wright, 1992). In a hard rock environment such as the study area, the occurrence of groundwater is controlled principally by the zones of secondary porosity associated with the inherent geological condi-tions of these rocks. * Corresponding author. Mulalo Netsianda. Tel.: +27762490442. E-mail address: mulalonetsianda1@gmail.com http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cviu.2017.00.000 1077-3142/© 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.