Mapping Changes in a Recovering Mine Site with Hyperspectral Airborne HyMap Imagery (Sotiel, SW Spain)

Minerals

Jorge Buzzi¹  Asunción Riaza¹  Eduardo Garc໚-Meléndez²  Sebastian Weide³ 

[1] Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Geological Survey of Spain, La Calera 1, 28760 Tres Cantos, E-28003 Madrid, Spain; E-Mail:;Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, E-24071 León, Spain; E-Mail:;Remote Sensing Data Centre, German Aerospace Research, Deustsche Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR), P.O. Box 1116, D-82234 Wessling, Germany; E-Mails:

关键词: imaging spectroscopy;    mine site recovery;    change detection;    pyrite weathering;   

DOI  :  10.3390/min4020313

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Hyperspectral high spatial resolution HyMap data are used to map mine waste from massive sulfide ore deposits, mostly abandoned, on the Iberian Pyrite Belt (southwest Spain). Mine dams, mill tailings and mine dumps in variable states of pyrite oxidation are recognizable. The interpretation of hyperspectral remote sensing requires specific algorithms able to manage high dimensional data compared to multispectral data. The routine of image processing methods used to extract information from hyperspectral data to map geological features is explained, as well as the sequence of algorithms used to produce maps of the mine sites. The mineralogical identification capability of algorithms to produce maps based on archive spectral libraries is discussed. Trends of mineral growth differ spectrally over time according to the geological setting and the recovery state of the mine site. Subtle mineralogical changes are enhanced using the spectral response as indicators of pyrite oxidation intensity of the mine waste piles and pyrite mud tailings. The changes in the surface of the mill tailings deserve a detailed description, as the surfaces are inaccessible to direct observation. Such mineralogical changes respond faithfully to industrial activities or the influence of climate when undisturbed by human influence.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.