Mineral Exploration and Mining

Introduction

Satellite Imagery and aerial photography has proven to be an important tool in assessing mineral exploration tenements, it provides the geologists and field crew location of tracks, roads, fences, habitation, as well as ability to map out crops and regolith systematics and vegetation cover across an area or region.

Morenci Mine, Arizona
(click thumbnail to enlarge)

The Morenci open-pit copper mine in southeast Arizona is North America's leading producer of copper. This ASTER image used short wavelength infrared bands to highlight in bright pink the altered rocks in the Morenci pit associated with copper mineralization.

Satellite images have benefited geologists, scientists and exploration managers in earth sciences due to the sensor containing multiple band colors which allows them to interpret wavelengths that cannot be seen by the human eye, such as near infrared, short wave infrared and thermal infrared to identify the difference in structural features of the earth's surface. Multispectral imaging and thematic mapping allows researchers to collect data of reflection and absorption properties of soils, rock, and vegetation. This data could be utilized to interpret actual surface lithologies to identify clays, oxides and soils from satellite images.

Saline Valley, California — ASTER

Please click on a thumbnail to enlarge the image.

The LEFT image displays visible and near infrared bands 3, 2, and 1 in red, green, and blue (RGB). Vegetation appears red, snow and dry salt lakes are white, and exposed rocks are brown, gray, yellow and blue. Rock colors mainly reflect the presence of iron minerals, and variations in albedo. The middle image displays short wavelength infrared bands 4, 6, and 8 as RGB. In this wavelength region, clay, carbonate, and sulfate minerals have diagnostic absorption features, resulting in distinct colors on the image. For example, limestones are yellow-green, and purple areas are kaolinite-rich. The RIGHT image displays thermal infrared bands 13, 12 and 10 as RGB. In this wavelength region, variations in quartz content appear as more or less red; carbonate rocks are green, and mafic volcanic rocks are purple.

Pleiades-1A (0.5m) Satellite Image
Bingham Canyon Copper Mine - Utah, USA

Satellite Imaging Corporation (SIC) provides high resolution satellite imagery for analysis and mapping applications such as Geographic Information System (GIS). Our imaging, Geographic Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) and geodesy experts are highly experienced in image processing, orthorectification, georeferencing, feature extraction and mosaicing for your specific project needs.

SIC incorporates advanced remote sensing techniques, color and panchromatic image data processing services pan sharpening with image data fusion, image enhancements, georeferencing and mosaicing, and color/grayscale balancing. Optional satellite imaging features may incorporate specialized processing procedures, which are used to analyze land cover classification and mapping, extraction of culture data, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) classification and mapping, lithological classification, geological interpretation, multispectral analysis and classification, change detection, environmental monitoring, urban development, and monitoring emergencies.

Geological Interpretation using ASTER, DEM and 8-Band MS WorldView-2 Imagery

For many image requests, a matching image can be located in our global archives of satellite imagery. If no image data is available in the archives, new satellite image data can be acquired through a satellite tasking process. Besides providing image data, Satellite Imaging Corporation performs many tasks in the background to ensure that we meet customer specifications and time schedules.

Negotiate the attainment of images

Process imagery, including orthorectification, DSM, DTM, and raster-to-vector conversions



1 Meter DEM Pleiades-1A Triple Stereo Satellite Imagery
Bingham Canyon Copper Mine - Utah, USA

Provide 3D terrain visualization and modeling for project planning and support

Incorporate third-party USA and international GIS data

Consult on band combinations most appropriate to bring out the geographical and man-made features that are most pertinent to your project

Perform spectral analysis for land cover use classifications and environmental impact changes

Satellite sensor data has been used by government, commercial, industrial, civilian, and educational communities throughout the world. The data is used to support a wide range of applications in such areas as global change research, agriculture, forestry, geology, resource management, geography, mapping, hydrology, and oceanography.

Bingham Canyon Copper Mine, Utah, USA — ArcScene 3D View — Pleiades-1A

Satellite Imaging Corporation offers satellite imaging acquisition from various commercial satellite sensors providing different resolutions including:

Satellite Sensor Resolution at Nadir

GeoEye-1, 0.5m/2.0m

Worldview-2, 0.5m/2.0m

Pleiades-1A, 0.5m/2.0m

Pleiades-1B, 0.5m/2.0m

QuickBird, 0.6m/2.4m

IKONOS, 0.8m/3.2m

SPOT-5, 2.5m/10m

SPOT-6, 1.5m/8.0m

LANDSAT 7 +ETM, 15m/30m

LANDSAT 8, 15m/30m

ASTER, 15m/30m

Satellite Imaging Corporation is available for consultancy for your imaging and mapping projects concerns. Please contact us for any questions.