Exploration of gold mineralization in a tropical region using Earth Observing-1 (EO1) and JERS-1 SAR data: a case study from Bau gold field,Sarawak, Malaysia

Bau gold mining district, located near Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, is a Carlin style gold deposits. Geological analyses coupled with remote sensing data were used to detect hydrothermal alteration rocks and structure elements associated with this type of gold mineralization. Image processing techniques, including principal components analysis, linear spectral unmixing, and Laplacian algorithms, were employed to carry out spectrolithological–structural mapping of mineralized zones, using Advanced Land Imager, Hyperion, and JERS-1 synthetic aperture radar scenes covering the study area and surrounding terrain. Hydrothermally alteration mineral zones were detected along the SSW to NNE structural trend of the Tai Parit fault that corresponds to the areas of occurrence of the gold mineralization in the Bau limestone. The results show that potentially interesting areas are observable by the methods used, despite limited bedrock exposure in this region and the constraints imposed by the tropical environment.