Abstract
Monitoring mine waste from sulfide deposits by hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to predict surface water quality by quantitatively estimating acid drainage and metal contamination on a yearly basis. In addition, analysis of the mineralogy of surface crusts rich in soluble salts can provide a record of annual humidity and temperature. In fact, temporal monitoring of salt efflorescence from mine wastes at a mine site in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Huelva, Spain) has been achieved using hyperspectral airborne Hymap data. Furthermore, climate variability estimates are possible based on oxidation stages derived from well-known sequences of minerals, by tracing sulfide oxidation intensity using archive spectral libraries. Thus, airborne and spaceborne hyperspectral remote sensing data can be used to provide a short-term record of climate change, and represent a useful set of tools for assessing environmental geoindicators in semi-arid areas. Spectral and geomorphological indicators can be monitored on a regular basis through image processing, supported by field and laboratory spectral data. In fact, hyperspectral image analysis is one of the methods selected by the Joint Research Centre of the European Community (Ispra, Italy) to study abandoned mine sites, in order to assess the enforcement of the European Mine Waste Directive (2006/21/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council 15 March 2006) on the management of waste from extractive industries (Official Journal of the European Union, 11 April 2006). The pyrite belt in Andalucia has been selected as one of the core mission test sites for the PECOMINES II program (Cracow, November 2005), using imaging spectroscopy; and this technique is expected to be implemented as a monitoring tool by the Environmental Net of Andalucía (REDIAM, Junta de Andalucía, Spain).
Highlights
Sulfide ore deposits are abundant in the Pyrite Belt (SE Spain), and pyrite is present in significant quantities in mine waste in dumps and ponds
These patterns are critical for accurate interpretation of climate change trends, metal contamination estimations or acid drainage prediction
Areas covered by vegetation types and other obscuring land use/cover types had to be masked in order to achieve reasonable results for pyrite oxidation mineral trends
Summary
Sulfide ore deposits are abundant in the Pyrite Belt (SE Spain), and pyrite is present in significant quantities in mine waste in dumps and ponds. Most previous mine waste mapping studies using hyperspectral data have focused on the identification of environmental evidence for predicting the extent of heavy metal contamination and acid drainage in surface water and groundwater [1,3]. Later field and laboratory spectral investigations, which monitored mineralogical changes in mine waste from the end of the wet season through the dry season [7,8], were in agreement with these observations [6] Based on these results, the authors suggest variations to the spectral identification of pyrite mud weathering products, using spectral libraries developed under a careful evaluation of the geological context [9,10]. Aim is to develop a monitoring system which can provide predictions on water quality estimations, and can be operated by regulators in the future
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
