Minerals 2014, 4(2), 313-329; doi:10.3390/min4020313
Mapping Changes in a Recovering Mine Site with Hyperspectral Airborne HyMap Imagery (Sotiel, SW Spain)
1
Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME), Geological Survey of Spain, La Calera 1, 28760 Tres Cantos, E-28003 Madrid, Spain
2
Facultad de Ciencias Ambientales, Universidad de León, Campus de Vegazana s/n, E-24071 León, Spain
3
Remote Sensing Data Centre, German Aerospace Research, Deustsche Zentrum für Luft und Raumfahrt (DLR), P.O. Box 1116, D-82234 Wessling, Germany
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 31 October 2013 / Revised: 2 April 2014 / Accepted: 10 April 2014 / Published: 16 April 2014
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Mine Waste Characterization, Management and Remediation)
Abstract
Hyperspectral high spatial resolution HyMap data are used to map mine waste from massive sulfide ore deposits, mostly abandoned, on the Iberian Pyrite Belt (southwest Spain). Mine dams, mill tailings and mine dumps in variable states of pyrite oxidation are recognizable. The interpretation of hyperspectral remote sensing requires specific algorithms able to manage high dimensional data compared to multispectral data. The routine of image processing methods used to extract information from hyperspectral data to map geological features is explained, as well as the sequence of algorithms used to produce maps of the mine sites. The mineralogical identification capability of algorithms to produce maps based on archive spectral libraries is discussed. Trends of mineral growth differ spectrally over time according to the geological setting and the recovery state of the mine site. Subtle mineralogical changes are enhanced using the spectral response as indicators of pyrite oxidation intensity of the mine waste piles and pyrite mud tailings. The changes in the surface of the mill tailings deserve a detailed description, as the surfaces are inaccessible to direct observation. Such mineralogical changes respond faithfully to industrial activities or the influence of climate when undisturbed by human influence. View Full-Text
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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Buzzi, J.; Riaza, A.; García-Meléndez, E.; Weide, S.; Bachmann, M. Mapping Changes in a Recovering Mine Site with Hyperspectral Airborne HyMap Imagery (Sotiel, SW Spain). Minerals 2014, 4, 313-329.
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