Aqueous alteration mapping in Rishabdev ultramafic complex using imaging spectroscopy

Hyperspectral remote sensing/imaging spectroscopy has enabled precise identification and mapping of hydrothermal alteration mineral assemblages based on diagnostic absorption features of minerals. In the present study, we use Airborne Visible InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) datasets acquired over Rishabdev ultramafic suite to derive surficial mineral map using least square based spectral shape matching in wavelength range of diagnostic absorption features of minerals. Resulting mineral map revealed presence of hydrothermally altered serpentine group of minerals and associated alteration products (talc and dolomite) along with clays and phyllosilicates. Mineral maps are validated using field spectral measurements and published geological map. Involvement of low temperature (<350 °C) hydrothermal fluid in serpentinization of ultramafic rocks in the region is inferred from analysis of deepest absorption features of muscovites at 2.20 μm, spectral abundance of lizardite and absence of prenhite-pumpyllite facies mineral assemblages. Talc was found to be the most common alteration product of serpentines followed by dolomites. Intense alteration of serpentines to talc along the fracture zone is attributed to the circulation of carbon dioxide rich hydrothermal fluids along these conduits. Kaolinite and halloysite are primarily associated with granites and are the result of hydrothermal alteration of plagioclase feldspar in granites while muscovite and illites are generally associated with phyllites and quartzites . The study demonstrates the potential of imaging spectroscopy for mapping hydrothermal alteration mineral assemblages in ultramafic complex.     

Automated lithological mapping by integrating spectral enhancement techniques and machine learning algorithms using AVIRIS-NG hyperspectral data in Gold-bearing granite-greenstone rocks in Hutti,India

In this study, we proposed an automated lithological mapping approach by using spectral enhancement techniques and Machine Learning Algorithms (MLAs) using Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) hyperspectral data in the greenstone belt of the Hutti area, India. We integrated spectral enhancement techniques such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) transformation and different MLAs for an accurate mapping of rock types. A conjugate utilization of conventional geological map and spectral enhancement products derived from ASTER data were used for the preparation of a high-resolution reference lithology map. Feature selection and extraction methods were applied on the AVIRIS-NG data to derive different input dataset such as (a) all spectral bands, (b) shortwave infrared bands, (c) Joint Mutual Information Maximization (JMIM) based optimum bands, and (d) optimum bands using PCA, to choose optimum input dataset for automated lithological mapping. The comparative analysis of different MLAs shows that the Support Vector Machine (SVM) outperforms other Machine Learning (ML) models. The SVM achieved an Overall Accuracy (OA) and Kappa Coefficient (k) of 85.48% and 0.83, respectively, using JMIM based optimum bands. The JMIM based optimum bands were more suitable than other input datasets to classify most of the lithological units (i.e. metabasalt, amphibolite, granite, acidic intrusive and migmatite) within the study area . The sensitivity analysis performed in this study illustrates that the SVM is less sensitive to the number of samples and mislabeling in the model training than other MLAs. The obtained high-resolution classified map with accurate litho-contacts of amphibolite, metabasalt, and granite can be coupled with an alteration map of the area for targeting the potential zone of gold mineralization.