Mineral resources prospecting by synthetic application of TM/ETM+, Quickbird and Hyperion data in the Hatu area, West Junggar, Xinjiang, China

Lei Liu,Dafang Zhuang,Zhengbao Ji,Dong Jiang,Zhijun Hu,Jun Zhou,Lamin R Mansaray

doi:10.1038/srep21851

Abstract

The Hatu area, West Junggar, Xinjiang, China, is situated at a potential gold-copper mineralization zone in association with quartz veins and small granitic intrusions. In order to identify the alteration zones and mineralization occurrences in this area, the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM+), Quickbird, Hyperion data and laboratory measured spectra were combined in identifying structures, alteration zones, quartz veins and small intrusions. The hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) color model transformation was applied to transform principal component analysis (PCA) combinations from R (Red), G (Green) and B (Blue) to HSI space to enhance faults. To wipe out the interference of the noise, a method, integrating Crosta technique and anomaly-overlaying selection, was proposed and implemented. Both Jet Propulsion Laboratory Spectral Library spectra and laboratory-measured spectra, combining with matched filtering method, were used to process Hyperion data. In addition, high-resolution Quickbird data were used for unraveling the quartz veins and small intrusions along the alteration zones. The Baobei fault and a SW-NE-oriented alteration zone were identified for the first time. This study eventually led to the discovery of four weak gold-copper mineralized locations through ground inspection and brought new geological knowledge of the region’s metallogeny.

Highlights

Remote sensing has been extensively used for lithological mapping and mineral exploration[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
By using the principal component analysis (PCA) and hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) color model transformation, PC1, PC2, and PC3 were transformed from R (Red), G (Green) and B (Blue) to HSI space, and the false color composite imagery of I, H, and S in RGB allowed discrimination of the major faults, secondary faults and even lineaments (Fig. 2)
This study demonstrates the importance and advantages of the combined use of the Thematic Mapper (TM)/ETM+, high-spatial resolution data and Hyperion remote sensing datasets in detecting structures, alteration zones and quartz veins associated with gold and copper mineralization, at Hatu, Xinjiang, Northwestern China

Summary

Introduction

Remote sensing has been extensively used for lithological mapping and mineral exploration[1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8] Different data have their own advantages and challenges. Remote sensing data are influenced by many factors such as the acquisition properties of images[13] and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)[8]. The high SNR is very important for alteration mineral mapping because the result can be limited by the random noise[8]. The known mineral deposits in the hanging wall of the Darbut suture are mainly distributed along the major fault zones and correlated closely with the secondary faults, quartz veins and intrusions, forming the Hatu gold-copper (with molybdenum) metallogenic belt[17]. The gold mineralization is most closely associated with beresitization[21]

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Discussion

Conclusion