Mapping alteration minerals at prospect, outcrop and drill core scales using imaging spectrometry

Abstract

Imaging spectrometer data (also known as ‘hyperspectral imagery’ or HSI) are well established for detailed mineral mapping from airborne and satellite systems. Overhead data, however, have substantial additional potential when used together with ground-based measurements. An imaging spectrometer system was used to acquire airborne measurements and to image in-place outcrops (mine walls) and boxed drill core and rock chips using modified sensor-mounting configurations. Data were acquired at 5 nm nominal spectral resolution in 360 channels from 0.4 to 2.45 μm. Analysis results using standardized hyperspectral methodologies demonstrate rapid extraction of representative mineral spectra and mapping of mineral distributions and abundances in map-plan, with core depth, and on the mine walls. The examples shown highlight the capabilities of these data for mineral mapping. Integration of these approaches promotes improved understanding of relations between geology, alteration and spectral signatures in three dimensions and should lead to improved efficiency of mine development, operations and ultimately effective mine closure.

Multispectral, hyperspectral, and LiDAR remote sensing and geographic information fusion for improved earthquake response

“…Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data [1][2][3] were collected during June and September 2011 at 7m and 2.4m spatial resolutions respectively for the Monterey Peninsula area, Monterey County, California. Imaging spectrometry (also known as hyperspectral imaging or HSI) is a mature remote sensing technology that combines the measurement of spatial images with a spectral signature at each image picture element (pixel) [2,4,5]. Preliminary analysis results for some of these datasets were previously described [6,7] .…”

High‐resolution hyperspectral imaging of diagenesis and clays in fossil coral reef material: a nondestructive tool for improving environmental and climate reconstructions

“…In recent years, data from hyperspectral imaging sensors acquired in the laboratory have been used to identify and quantify minerals and aspects of their geochemistry in rock samples, nondestructively at submillimeter spatial resolutions [Kruse et al, 2011;Murphy et al, 2016;Schneider et al, 2014]. Each pixel in the hyperspectral image records reflected light in numerous spectral bands and at a spectral resolution (6-10 nm, Full Width Half Maximum) that is sufficient to resolve mineral absorption features.…”

“…Amounts of clay in cores may be below the limits of detection using standard XRD, X-ray fluorescence (XRF), or inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) methods. Detection of clays in samples at small spatial scales from laboratory hyperspectral imagery is well constrained [e.g., Kruse et al, 2011;Schneider et al, 2014;Uezato et al, 2016]. Subtle absorption features associated with many clay minerals, Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems…”

Characterizing Kimberlite Dilution by Crustal Rocks at the Snap Lake Diamond Mine (Northwest Territories, Canada) using SWIR (1.90–2.36μm) and LWIR (8.1–11.1μm) Hyperspectral Imagery Collected from Drill Core

“…With the recent development of drill core hyperspectral imaging systems, this compositional information can now be acquired rapidly and at high spatial resolutions (e.g., Kruse, 1996;Calvin et al, 2005;Roache et al, 2011;Kruse et al, 2012;Zaini, et al, 2014). Spectroscopic research on kimberlites has typically focused on airborne remote sensing projects aimed at kimberlite exploration and characterization (Kruse and Boardman, 2000;Keeling et al, 2004;Tukiainen and Thorning, 2005), and the collection of SWIR reflectance spectra from kimberlite hand samples (Hauff et al, 2001;Guha et al, 2012).…”