Using WorldView-3 SWIR to Enable Individual Alteration Mineral Mapping

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The Challenge: Remote Mineral Exploration

Traditional mineral exploration requires expensive field surveys to identify promising areas. Hydrothermal alteration minerals - the key indicators of potential mineralisation - create unique spectral signatures in the shortwave infrared (SWIR) range that can be detected remotely, vastly improving how we approach early-stage exploration.

WorldView-3: Game-Changing SWIR Technology

WorldView-3’s advanced 8-band SWIR sensor (1195-2365 nm at 3.7m resolution) captures diagnostic absorption features of critical alteration minerals:

  • Phyllosilicates: Kaolinite, illite, smectite, muscovite, chlorite
  • Sulfates: Alunite, jarosite, gypsum
  • Iron minerals: Hematite, goethite, pyrite
  • Carbonates: Calcite, dolomite

Breakthrough Results

Working with a geologically complex area featuring chloritized granodiorite, metamorphosed volcanics, and known mineralisation zones, Arc GeoTech achieved:

Precise Mineral Mapping

  • Successfully identified and mapped distinct alteration mineral assemblages
  • Detected clay-rich zones with kaolinite, illite, smectite, and muscovite
  • Mapped iron oxide concentrations and sulfate mineral occurrences
  • Distinguished between different alteration types and intensities

Structural Discovery

  • Revealed high-density fault networks with primary NW-SE and NNW-SSE trends
  • Demonstrated strong correlation between alteration zones and structural lineaments
  • Identified structural controls on mineralisation pathways

Advanced Analysis Methods

Arc GeoTech’s multi-technique approach combined:

  • Band ratio analysis targeting specific mineral signatures
  • Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification with reference spectra
  • Multi-band composites optimised for alteration discrimination
  • High-resolution lineament analysis using 30cm panchromatic data

Get the Complete Technical Analysis

The comprehensive report delivers:

  • Step-by-step processing workflows with detailed parameters
  • Complete mineral distribution maps with classification confidence
  • Structural analysis including rose diagrams and lineament density maps
  • Band ratio formulations for different mineral targets
  • Visual spectral comparisons across all composite combinations
  • Geological targeting recommendations for follow-up exploration

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Case study prepared by Arc GeoTech utilising Geopera data

Geopera Team

Geopera Team

Geopera combines research backed imagery processing with enterprise-grade data infrastructure to deliver high-quality satellite data - processed how you need it, when you need it.