Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada
We have investigated the application of ground, laboratory, and airborne optical remote sensing methods for the detection of hydrothermal alteration zones associated with the Izok Lake volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit in Nunavut, Canada. This bimodal-felsic Zn-Cu-Pb-Ag deposit is located a...
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Online Access: | https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9624f82a-c8e6-4125-9bf5-2bfee44c482f https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 |
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ftunivalberta:oai:era.library.ualberta.ca:9624f82a-c8e6-4125-9bf5-2bfee44c482f 2024-06-23T07:50:43+00:00 Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada Laakso, K., Rivard, B., Peter, J.M. White, H.P. Maloley, M. Harris, J. Rogge, D. 2022-02-28 https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9624f82a-c8e6-4125-9bf5-2bfee44c482f https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 English eng https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9624f82a-c8e6-4125-9bf5-2bfee44c482f doi:10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ hyperspectral mineral exploration Article (Published) 2022 ftunivalberta https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 2024-06-03T03:09:00Z We have investigated the application of ground, laboratory, and airborne optical remote sensing methods for the detection of hydrothermal alteration zones associated with the Izok Lake volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit in Nunavut, Canada. This bimodal-felsic Zn-Cu-Pb-Ag deposit is located above the tree line in a subarctic environment where lichens are the dominant cryptogamic species coating the rocks. The immediate host rhyolitic rocks have been hydrothermally altered and contain biotite, chlorite, and white micas as dominant alteration minerals. These minerals have spectral Al-OH and Fe-OH absorption features in the short-wave infrared wavelength region that display wavelength shifts, which are documented to be due to chemical compositional changes. Our ground spectrometer measurements indicate that there is a systematic trend in the Fe-OH absorption feature wavelength position of biotite/chlorite with increasing distance from the VMS deposit: the average Fe-OH absorption feature wavelength position of the proximal areas (398–3,146 m from mineralization) is observed at 2,254 nm, and that of the distal areas (5,782–6,812 m) at 2,251 nm. Moreover, the proximal areas have an average Al-OH absorption feature wavelength position at 2,203 nm, in contrast with the average wavelength position at 2,201 nm in the distal areas, implying a spectral shift of 2 nm. These findings indicate that hydrothermal alteration zones can be detected by hyperspectral remote sensing, despite the presence of abundant lichen cover. However, the airborne results discussed in this study required the screening out of more than 99% of the pixels in the area. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Nunavut Subarctic University of Alberta: Era - Education and Research Archive Arctic Nunavut Canada |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Alberta: Era - Education and Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivalberta |
language |
English |
topic |
hyperspectral mineral exploration |
spellingShingle |
hyperspectral mineral exploration Laakso, K., Rivard, B., Peter, J.M. White, H.P. Maloley, M. Harris, J. Rogge, D. Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada |
topic_facet |
hyperspectral mineral exploration |
description |
We have investigated the application of ground, laboratory, and airborne optical remote sensing methods for the detection of hydrothermal alteration zones associated with the Izok Lake volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit in Nunavut, Canada. This bimodal-felsic Zn-Cu-Pb-Ag deposit is located above the tree line in a subarctic environment where lichens are the dominant cryptogamic species coating the rocks. The immediate host rhyolitic rocks have been hydrothermally altered and contain biotite, chlorite, and white micas as dominant alteration minerals. These minerals have spectral Al-OH and Fe-OH absorption features in the short-wave infrared wavelength region that display wavelength shifts, which are documented to be due to chemical compositional changes. Our ground spectrometer measurements indicate that there is a systematic trend in the Fe-OH absorption feature wavelength position of biotite/chlorite with increasing distance from the VMS deposit: the average Fe-OH absorption feature wavelength position of the proximal areas (398–3,146 m from mineralization) is observed at 2,254 nm, and that of the distal areas (5,782–6,812 m) at 2,251 nm. Moreover, the proximal areas have an average Al-OH absorption feature wavelength position at 2,203 nm, in contrast with the average wavelength position at 2,201 nm in the distal areas, implying a spectral shift of 2 nm. These findings indicate that hydrothermal alteration zones can be detected by hyperspectral remote sensing, despite the presence of abundant lichen cover. However, the airborne results discussed in this study required the screening out of more than 99% of the pixels in the area. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Laakso, K., Rivard, B., Peter, J.M. White, H.P. Maloley, M. Harris, J. Rogge, D. |
author_facet |
Laakso, K., Rivard, B., Peter, J.M. White, H.P. Maloley, M. Harris, J. Rogge, D. |
author_sort |
Laakso, K., |
title |
Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada |
title_short |
Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada |
title_full |
Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada |
title_fullStr |
Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada |
title_full_unstemmed |
Application of Airborne, Laboratory, and Field Hyperspectral Methods to Mineral Exploration in the Canadian Arctic: Recognition and Characterization of Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide-Associated Hydrothermal Alteration in the Izok Lake Deposit Area, Nunavut, Canada |
title_sort |
application of airborne, laboratory, and field hyperspectral methods to mineral exploration in the canadian arctic: recognition and characterization of volcanogenic massive sulfide-associated hydrothermal alteration in the izok lake deposit area, nunavut, canada |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9624f82a-c8e6-4125-9bf5-2bfee44c482f https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 |
geographic |
Arctic Nunavut Canada |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Nunavut Canada |
genre |
Arctic Nunavut Subarctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic Nunavut Subarctic |
op_relation |
https://era.library.ualberta.ca/items/9624f82a-c8e6-4125-9bf5-2bfee44c482f doi:10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-8egd-cp53 |
_version_ |
1802641622018555904 |