Mineral resource

Dr. Pawan Kumar Gautam

M.Sc. NET. Ph.D. (Geology)
 Introduction to Mineral Prospecting

Mineral prospecting is the first step in the mining

cycle, focusing on discovering economically viable
mineral deposits.
 Type

Energy
Metallic Non-metallic
Minerals

Gold Limestone Coal

Silver Silica Uranium
Copper Phosphates Natural Gas
Lead
Zinc
Nickel
 Remote Sensing and GIS in Prospecting

Using satellite or aerial data to detect surface

expressions of mineral deposits, such as alteration
zones, specific rock types, or geochemical
anomalies.
Spectral Analysis and Mineral Identification

 Different minerals reflect and absorb light differently

across the electromagnetic spectrum.

 Remote sensing sensors, especially hyperspectral

sensors, can capture these variations and generate
detailed spectral signatures.
 Satellite Sensors in Mineral Exploration

 Landsat

 ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection

Radiometer)

 Sentinel-2

 MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer)

 WorldView-3

 Airborne sensors
 Landsat
One of the most widely used satellites in mineral exploration, Landsat
provides data in the visible, near-infrared, and thermal infrared regions,
allowing detection of surface materials.

Spatial resolution: 30 meters (for multispectral bands), 15 meters (for

panchromatic band)

Temporal resolution: 16 days.

Spectral Bands: Landsat 8 has 11 bands, ranging from visible to

thermal infrared.

Application: Used for identifying rock and soil types, detecting

alteration zones (e.g., hydrothermal alterations).
 ASTER
ASTER is highly effective in mineral exploration due to its high spectral
resolution in the visible, near-infrared (VNIR), shortwave-infrared
(SWIR), and thermal infrared (TIR) regions.

Spatial resolution: 15 meters (VNIR), 30 meters (SWIR), and 90

meters (TIR).

Spectral Bands: 14 bands with enhanced capabilities for detecting

specific minerals.

Application: ASTER is used for detailed mineral identification,

mapping hydrothermal alterations. It is particularly useful for detecting
minerals like clays, carbonates, and oxides.
 Sentinel-2
Part of the European Space Agency's Copernicus program, Sentinel-2
provides multispectral imagery that can be used for land cover
classification, geological mapping, and mineral exploration.

Spatial resolution: 10, 20, and 60 meters, depending on the band.

Spectral Bands: 13 bands, covering the visible, near-infrared, and

shortwave-infrared regions.

Application: Sentinel-2 is used for

Large -scale geological surveys

Alteration zone mapping
 Sentinel-2

Spectral
Spatial
Satellite Bands Wavelength
Resolution
Range (μm)
Band 1 - Coastal aerosol 443.9 60
Band 2 - Blue 496.6 10
Band 3 - Green 560 10
Band 4 - Red 664.5 10
Band 5 - Vegetation red edge 703.9 20
Band 6 -Vegetation red edge 740.2 20
Sentinal-2A Band 7 -Vegetation red edge 782.5 20
Band 8 - NIR 835.1 10
Band 8A - Narrow NIR 864.8 20
Band 9 - Water vapour 945 60
Band 10 - SWIR – Cirrus 1373.5 60
Band 11 - SWIR 1613.7 20
Band 12 - SWIR 2202.4 20
 MODIS
MODIS is designed for monitoring large-scale global dynamics and is less
frequently used for detailed mineral exploration, but its data is useful for
broad, regional surveys.

Spatial resolution: 250 meters, 500 meters, and 1 km.

Spectral Bands: 36 bands ranging from visible to thermal infrared.

Application: MODIS is useful for analyzing surface reflectance and

detecting vegetation stress, which can be correlated with underlying
mineral deposits in certain environments.
 WorldView-3
A high-resolution commercial satellite used for detailed mineral
exploration and geological mapping.

Spatial resolution: Up to 31 cm in panchromatic and 1.24 meters in

multispectral mode.

Spectral Bands: 29 bands, including shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands

that are excellent for mineral identification.

Application: Provides detailed imagery for precise identification of

mineral types, mapping small-scale geological features, and refining
exploration targets.
WorldView-3
Airborne Sensors in Mineral
Exploration
 Airborne Sensors in Mineral Exploration
 Hyperspectral Imaging Sensors

 Airborne LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)

 Airborne Magnetic Surveys

 Airborne Gravity Surveys

 Airborne Radiometric Surveys

 Hyperspectral Imaging Sensors

Hyperspectral imaging captures hundreds of narrow spectral bands,

making it possible to distinguish between minerals based on their unique
spectral signatures.

High spectral resolution: Typically in the range of 0.01 to 0.1 µm.

Applications: Used for detailed mineral identification, mapping of

alteration zones, and distinguishing between rock and soil types based on
their spectral characteristics.
 Airborne LIDAR

LIDAR is used to create high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs)

of the Earth's surface, helping to detect topographical features that
indicate underlying geological structures.

Applications: Used for mapping

terrain, identifying fault lines, and
creating 3D models of mine sites or
prospective exploration areas.
 Airborne Magnetic Surveys
Utility: Airborne magnetic sensors detect variations in the Earth’s
magnetic field caused by underlying magnetic minerals (e.g., iron ore).

High sensitivity: Capable of detecting even subtle magnetic anomalies.

Applications: Used to map geological structures, identify ore bodies,

and locate faults and dykes that may be associated with mineralization.

Example Platforms:
Magnetometers mounted on fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters.
 Airborne Gravity Surveys

Measures variations in the Earth's gravitational field, which can

indicate changes in rock density below the surface.

Sensitive to large-scale structures: Detects variations

caused by dense ore bodies (e.g., lead, zinc).

Applications: Used for identifying buried ore bodies,

particularly in areas where there is no surface expression of
the deposit.
 Airborne Radiometric Surveys

Measures the natural radiation emitted by rocks and soil, particularly in

the gamma-ray spectrum. Different rocks emit different levels of gamma
radiation, allowing for the mapping of rock types.

Applications: Useful for identifying radioactive minerals like uranium,

thorium, and potassium.
Application of Remote Sensing In
Mineral resource
 Identifying Mineral Spectral Signatures

Each mineral has a unique way of reflecting, absorbing, and

emitting electromagnetic radiation across the spectrum.

Spectral Region Mineral Features

Iron oxides (hematite, goethite) show strong absorption; gives

Visible (0.4–0.7 µm)
red/yellow colors.

Near-Infrared (0.7–1.3 µm) Sensitive to Fe²⁺, Fe³⁺, crystal field effects.

Shortwave Infrared (SWIR: 1.3–2.5 µm) Diagnostic for clay, carbonate, sulfate, and hydroxyl-bearing minerals.

Thermal Infrared (TIR: 8–14 µm) Useful for silicate minerals (quartz, feldspars, pyroxenes).
 Sensor use in Mineral Spectral Signatures

Multispectral (broad bands): Landsat (30 m), Sentinel-2

(10–20 m), ASTER (with SWIR/TIR bands).

Hyperspectral (narrow bands): AVIRIS, HyMap,

PRISMA, EnMAP, Hyperion — provide hundreds of bands
to pinpoint absorption features.

TIR Sensors: ASTER TIR, ECOSTRESS, etc

 Vegetation Stress Analysis

Minerals beneath the surface can affect the health of surrounding

vegetation. Remote sensing techniques help monitor changes in
vegetation health and identify areas where plants exhibit stress
due to underlying mineral deposits.
Plants interact with light in three main spectral regions:

•Visible (VIS: 400–700 nm): Chlorophyll strongly absorbs blue & red light, reflects green
(why plants look green).

•Near-Infrared (NIR: 700–1300 nm): Healthy leaves have high reflectance due to internal cell
structure.

•Shortwave Infrared (SWIR: 1300–2500 nm): Sensitive to water content, lignin, and
cellulose.
(A)Spectral Indices

NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index

High NDVI → healthy, green vegetation.

Low NDVI → stressed/damaged vegetation

NDWI (Normalized Difference Water Index): Monitors leaf water content.

PRI (Photochemical Reflectance Index): Detects photosynthetic stress.

Red-Edge Indices (using Sentinel-2, hyperspectral): Sensitive to early stress before visible
symptoms
 Hydrothermal Alteration Detection

Hydrothermal alteration is the chemical change of rocks and

minerals due to interaction with hot, mineral-rich fluids
(hydrothermal fluids).

It typically occurs near ore-forming systems like porphyry

copper, epithermal gold, volcanogenic massive sulfides (VMS),
or skarn deposits.

Different types of alteration are linked with different mineralization styles

Alteration Type Key Minerals Formed Typical Deposit Association

Potassic K-feldspar, biotite, sericite Porphyry Cu, Au

Phyllic (Sericitic) Sericite, quartz, pyrite Cu, Mo, Au deposits

Peripheral zones of porphyries,

Propylitic Chlorite, epidote, calcite, albite
base metals

Argillic Kaolinite, illite, montmorillonite Epithermal Au, Ag

Advanced Argillic Alunite, pyrophyllite, diaspore High-sulfidation Au, Cu

Silicification Quartz, chalcedony, jasperoid Epithermal Au, VMS

 Sensor use in Hydrothermal Alteration

ASTER, Landsat, Sentinel-2 satellite data: detect clay and

iron oxide minerals by reflectance spectral.

Hyperspectral imaging (HyMap, AVIRIS, Hyperion):

distinguishes alteration minerals (e.g., kaolinite vs alunite).
 Spectral Spectral Spatial Res.
Sensor Full Name Platform Bands
Range Res. (VIS)

Hyperspectral
HyMap Airborne 0.45–2.5 µm ~126 15–20 nm 3–5 m
Mapper

Airborne
Visible/Infrared
AVIRIS Airborne 0.4–2.5 µm 224 ~10 nm 4–20 m
Imaging
Spectrometer

Hyperion
Imaging
Hyperion Spaceborne 0.4–2.5 µm 220 ~10 nm 30 m
Spectrometer
(EO-1)
 Thermal Imaging

Identifying minerals associated with temperature variations.

Radiated by minerals like sulfides and hydrocarbons.

Thermal Anomaly Detection

 Ore deposits may release heat due to exothermic reactions

(sulfide oxidation) or geothermal fluids.

 Example: Epithermal gold deposits → hot springs detectable by

thermal imaging.

 Fault zones → heat pathways detectable in thermal surveys.

Thermal Emission and Reflection
Radiometer (ASTER), Sentinel,
 Subsurface Exploration

Ground-penetrating radar help create images of subsurface

structures, revealing potential mineral deposits hidden beneath
layers of soil and rock. This technology reduces the need for
extensive drilling and excavation, making the exploration process
more efficient and cost-effective.
Thankyou