Delineation of coalfield surface fires by thresholding Landsat TM-7 day-time image data

Surface fires are common in coalfields where coal is mined or exposed to sunlight for long durations of time. The heat energy emitted from these fires affects the signal recorded by sensors operating in the shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The Landsat TM/ETM+ band-7 is sensitive to solar reflected radiation as well as emitted radiation from a target. The ‘maximum solar reflection threshold’ method proposed in this study uses the highest spectral radiance that can be attributed to solar reflection as the conservative threshold to segregate the pixels with emitted component from those with reflected component of the EM energy. Investigations with Landsat TM/ETM+ data indicate a reflectance value of 0.23–0.25 as the most representative highest reflectance (threshold) in coal mining areas. The method apparently has the advantage that it is based on the reflectance characteristics of materials (sandstone-shale mixtures) typically found in coal mining areas.