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Remote Sensing

Introduction

Remote Sensing technology is used throughout Primary Industries and Resources South Australia (PIRSA) with in-house expertise and equipment. PIRSA is a major ERMapper site and we also use ENVI. As part of the South Australian Exploration Initiative, PIRSA have purchased total State coverage for Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper digital imagery.

Spectral geology, the heir of remote sensing, is now assuming its place in the suite of high technology tools used in the exploration of our challenging, arid and remote environment. Hyperspectral data, with over 100 channels, enables the detailed analysis of reflected solar radiation from the surface of the Earth. Vectors to world class ore deposits such as alteration mineralogy, crystal structure and molecular substitutions, are potentially available within the spectral information returned by the sensors.

New Developments

HyLoggerTM

CSIRO has recently completed an Australian Minerals Industries Research Association Ltd (AMIRA) Project P685 demonstrating the viability of the HyLogger system. As a co-sponsor, PIRSA took the opportunity afforded sponsors to undertake operational scanning for several months after project completion using their own materials. The presentation 'Emmie Bluff study area in South Australia' summarises the results of the AMIRA Project (.pdf file ~ 670kb).

PIRSA, in collaboration with Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration (CRC-LEME) and Geoscience Australia (GA), now has 35,000 metres of scanning completed constituting over 100 Gigabytes of data from some 360 signature holes across South Australia. .

Hylogger data was first added to SARIG, the South Australian Resources Information Geoserver in the last quarter of 2005 and is constantly being updated as new core is scanned.

ARGUSTM

Current developments in this field have brought systems designed for airborne deployment into the core library. Taking the hyperspectral line-profiler designed for ARGUS and mounting it over a computer controlled robotic table has enabled the rapid scanning of thousands of metres of drill core

Data Processing

As part of the TEISA program over 1000km2 of the Musgrave Ranges have been surveyed by HyVista using their HyMap scanner. Data is available free on request.

PIRSA has also processed HyMap data covering both Tarcoola and the Willouran Ranges in South Australia. Preliminary results from image analysis have demonstrated the unique value offered by such a system (Keeling & Mauger, 1988). PIRSA is collaborating with CSIRO who are undertaking detailed studies relating HyMap, ARGUSTM (a hyperspectral, line profiling system  developed by CSIRO and Fugro) and simulated ARIES I datasets over a test site at Mt Fitton, in the northern Flinders Ranges, SA. (Denniss, Huntington & Hore, 1999).

Other datasets archived at PIRSA include AIRSAR data for Kangaroo Island, Tarcoola and Olary, and Geoscan data for Tarcoola and Olary.

PIMA Equipment

Portable Infrared Mineral Analyser imageThe Mineral Resources Group, PIRSA own a Portable Infrared Mineral Analyser - PIMA II and co-sponsored the CSIRO/AMIRA Project P435 "Mineral Mapping with Field Spectroscopy". Please contact Dr Alan Mauger (08 8463 3062) for further information.

 


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Images on this page courtesy of ACRES.

 

References

Denniss, A., Huntington, J. & Hore, S, 1999. Mount Fitton hyperspectral mineral mapping collaborative project. MESA Journal 15, pp 12 - 14 (.pdf ~ 225kb)

Keeling, J. and Mauger, A. 1998. New airborne HyMap data aids assessment of magnesite resources. MESA Journal 11, pp 7 - 11 (.pdf ~ 550kb)

Keeling, J. and Mauger, A. & Huntington, J., 2004. Spectral core logger update - preliminary results from the Barns gold prospect. MESA Journal 32, pp 32-36 (.pdf ~ 2Mb)

Mauger, A. et al. 2002. Hyperspectral Airborne Survey for Geological Mapping, Musgrave Ranges, South Australia. 5th Airborne Remote Sensing Conference, Miami, May 2002. PowerPoint Presentation. (.pdf ~ 670kb)