Hyperspectral Imaging of Mineral Resources from New and Old Origins: Minerals for the Nation’s Economy and Utilization of Legacy Mine Lands
This project will produce maps of surface mineralogy at 15 m spatial resolution covering the largest contiguous area of hyperspectral imagery that has ever been assembled for the U.S., over 380,000 sq. km. in California and Nevada. We are developing new methods to apply these data to map critical minerals, including minerals critical for battery fabrication, and to evaluate resources available from waste on legacy mine lands. These remote sensing data are also useful for a wide range of other scientific applications, from natural hazards mitigation to ecosystem studies.
Science Issue and Relevance
Mineral resources are essential to National security and economic prosperity of the United States. The nation relies heavily on imports of critical minerals, making us vulnerable to events that disrupt our supply chain. Novel methods to characterize new mineral resources are required to meet the expected national and global demands and an anticipated shift to a renewable energy economy.
Imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral imaging) is a rapidly advancing technology that is increasingly applied at many points in the life cycle of minerals, from remote sensing for exploration, to laboratory scanning for drill core characterization, to spectral identification of minerals in hand specimens, and for exploitation of archives of airborne and satellite imagery. Imaging spectroscopy can assist in the mineral characterization of abandoned, legacy and un-reclaimed mines and their potential for critical minerals, a recent focus of the Mineral Resources Program and the Energy and Minerals Mission Area.
Methods to Address Issue
Project objectives are to support characterization of minerals resources by these activities.
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Laboratory and field spectroscopy of minerals, wastes, and soils: We are continuing development of the USGS spectral library by compiling new spectra of minerals relevant to locating critical mineral resources and characterizing surface minerals on legacy mine lands.
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Spectral signatures in North American Soils Geochemical Landscapes (NASGL): We are focusing on 1,390 soil samples from the NASGL collected from three soil depth levels at 430 sites in California and Nevada. Spectral measurements will be integrated with the existing geochemistry and mineralogy to facilitate 1) the detection of environmental changes related to the reclamation of mine waste on abandoned mine lands; 2) the identification of minerals related to background weathering processes in regolith materials; and 3) the detection of abnormal concentrations of toxic elements.
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Surface Mineral maps of California and Nevada: We are creating maps of surface mineralogy from existing large area contiguous hyperspectral image data covering parts of California and Nevada. Our advances in software and spectral processing methods are supporting Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) collection of new hyperspectral data over larger portions of the arid western U.S.
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Spectral methods for mine wastes and mineral resource assessments: Our efforts are assisting site prioritization for the collection of future fine spatial resolution hyperspectral acquisitions over mine waste areas of the nation, in particular in the eastern U.S., to support Mineral Resources Program priorities on “Waste as a Resource”, critical minerals, and assessment method development.
USGS research that our project collaborates with.
Spectroscopy and Hyperspectral Imaging of Critical Mineral Resources
Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI)
This project will produce maps of surface mineralogy at 15 m spatial resolution covering the largest contiguous area of hyperspectral imagery that has ever been assembled for the U.S., over 380,000 sq. km. in California and Nevada. We are developing new methods to apply these data to map critical minerals, including minerals critical for battery fabrication, and to evaluate resources available from waste on legacy mine lands. These remote sensing data are also useful for a wide range of other scientific applications, from natural hazards mitigation to ecosystem studies.
Science Issue and Relevance
Mineral resources are essential to National security and economic prosperity of the United States. The nation relies heavily on imports of critical minerals, making us vulnerable to events that disrupt our supply chain. Novel methods to characterize new mineral resources are required to meet the expected national and global demands and an anticipated shift to a renewable energy economy.
Imaging spectroscopy (hyperspectral imaging) is a rapidly advancing technology that is increasingly applied at many points in the life cycle of minerals, from remote sensing for exploration, to laboratory scanning for drill core characterization, to spectral identification of minerals in hand specimens, and for exploitation of archives of airborne and satellite imagery. Imaging spectroscopy can assist in the mineral characterization of abandoned, legacy and un-reclaimed mines and their potential for critical minerals, a recent focus of the Mineral Resources Program and the Energy and Minerals Mission Area.
Methods to Address Issue
Project objectives are to support characterization of minerals resources by these activities.
-
Laboratory and field spectroscopy of minerals, wastes, and soils: We are continuing development of the USGS spectral library by compiling new spectra of minerals relevant to locating critical mineral resources and characterizing surface minerals on legacy mine lands.
-
Spectral signatures in North American Soils Geochemical Landscapes (NASGL): We are focusing on 1,390 soil samples from the NASGL collected from three soil depth levels at 430 sites in California and Nevada. Spectral measurements will be integrated with the existing geochemistry and mineralogy to facilitate 1) the detection of environmental changes related to the reclamation of mine waste on abandoned mine lands; 2) the identification of minerals related to background weathering processes in regolith materials; and 3) the detection of abnormal concentrations of toxic elements.
-
Surface Mineral maps of California and Nevada: We are creating maps of surface mineralogy from existing large area contiguous hyperspectral image data covering parts of California and Nevada. Our advances in software and spectral processing methods are supporting Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI) collection of new hyperspectral data over larger portions of the arid western U.S.
-
Spectral methods for mine wastes and mineral resource assessments: Our efforts are assisting site prioritization for the collection of future fine spatial resolution hyperspectral acquisitions over mine waste areas of the nation, in particular in the eastern U.S., to support Mineral Resources Program priorities on “Waste as a Resource”, critical minerals, and assessment method development.
USGS research that our project collaborates with.