Lithological and alteration mineral mapping in poorly exposed lithologies using Landsat-8 and ASTER satellite data: North-eastern Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula

• Published in: Ore Geology Reviews
• Main Authors: Pour, A. B., Hashim, M., Hong, J. K., Park, Y.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: Elsevier B.V. 2017
• Subjects: G70.212-70.215 Geographic information system; Antarctic; Antarctic Peninsula; Graham Land; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://eprints.utm.my/77236/; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oregeorev.2017.07.018

Antarctica remains a remote and logistically difficult region to conduct geological field mapping and mineral exploration. Remote sensing satellite imagery has high potential to provide a solution to overcome the difficulties and limitations associated with geological field mapping and mineral exploration in inaccessible regions. In this study, the applications of Landsat-8 and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data were investigated to extract geological information for lithological and alteration mineral mapping in poorly exposed lithologies located in inaccessible regions. The north-eastern Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula (AP) was selected in this study to conduct a satellite-based remote sensing mapping approach. A two-stage methodology was adopted to distinguish pixel and sub-pixel targets in the satellite images. In the first stage, Continuum Removal (CR) spectral mapping tool and Independent Components Analysis (ICA) technique were applied to Landsat-8 and ASTER spectral bands to map the pixels related to poorly exposed lithological units. The second step was established based on the application of target detection algorithms to shortwave infrared bands of ASTER for detecting spectral features attributed to alteration mineral assemblages at the sub-pixel level. Pixels composed of distinctive absorption features of alteration mineral assemblages and Si-O bond emission minima features were detected by applying CR mapping tool to reflective and thermal bands of Landsat-8 and ASTER. Anomaly pixels related to spectral features of Al-O-H, Fe, Mg-O-H and CO3 groups as well as lithological attributions from felsic to mafic rocks were detected by the implementation of ICA technique to reflective and thermal bands of Landsat-8 and ASTER. ICA method provided image maps of alteration mineral assemblages and lithological units (mafic to felsic trend) for poorly mapped and/or unmapped regions. Fractional abundance of alteration minerals such as muscovite, kaolinite, illite, ...