Abstract
An airborne hyperspectral survey was organised by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and carried out in 2000 to test the use of spectral analysis in mineral exploration under Arctic conditions. The hyperspectral data were acquired by using the HyMap imaging system consisting of sensors that collect reflected solar radiation in 126 bands covering the 440–2500 nm wavelength range (Bedini & Tukiainen 2008). The spatial resolution was 4 × 4 m (Tukiainen 2001). Eight sites underlain by Caledonian or post-Caledonian rocks with known mineral occurrences (Fig. 1) were tested. The project was financially supported by the Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum and the data were analysed by GEUS. Here we provide a summary of the results.
Highlights
An airborne hyperspectral survey was organised by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and carried out in 2000 to test the use of spectral analysis in mineral exploration under Arctic conditions
Sulphide minerals have poor to weak spectral response in the visible and near-infrared (VNIR) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) spectral regions whereas their alteration products, such as malachite, cerussite, smithsonite and jarosite, are distinctly SWIR-active
This horst-like peninsula exposes a complex pattern of fault blocks involving Neoproterozoic to Triassic sedimentary rocks, with stratabound base-metal mineralisation occurring in the Permo-Triassic section
Summary
An airborne hyperspectral survey was organised by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS) and carried out in 2000 to test the use of spectral analysis in mineral exploration under Arctic conditions. The field work comprised ground measurements of rocks, minerals and their weathering products with a portable spectro-radiometer in order to determine their spectral character and to compare this information with the airborne data. In 2005 and 2008, a PIMA II portable instrument was borrowed from other institutions, but for the 2009 season GEUS purchased an advanced spectro-radiometer, model FieldSpec 3 HiRes. Our investigations showed that there is good correlation between the airborne spectra and the field spectra, confirming the quality and stability of the airborne hyperspectral data. It appears from our study that the hyperspectral detection of typical host- and wall-rock alteration minerals (jarosite, white micas, phengite, kaolinite, dolomite etc.) provides an effective method to outline potential exploration targets
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