Lithological and alteration mineral mapping in poorly exposed lithologies using Landsat-8 and ASTER satellite data: North-eastern Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctica remains a remote and logistically difficult region to conduct geological field mapping and mineral exploration. Remote sensing satellite imagery has high potential to provide a solution to overcome the difficulties and limitations associated with geological field mapping and mineral exploration in inaccessible regions. In this study, the applications of Landsat-8 and the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data were investigated to extract geological information for lithological and alteration mineral mapping in poorly exposed lithologies located in inaccessible regions. The north-eastern Graham Land, Antarctic Peninsula (AP) was selected in this study to conduct a satellite-based remote sensing mapping approach. A two-stage methodology was adopted to distinguish pixel and sub-pixel targets in the satellite images. In the first stage, Continuum Removal (CR) spectral mapping tool and Independent Components Analysis (ICA) technique were applied to Landsat-8 and ASTER spectral bands to map the pixels related to poorly exposed lithological units. The second step was established based on the application of target detection algorithms to shortwave infrared bands of ASTER for detecting spectral features attributed to alteration mineral assemblages at the sub-pixel level. Pixels composed of distinctive absorption features of alteration mineral assemblages and Si-O bond emission minima features were detected by applying CR mapping tool to reflective and thermal bands of Landsat-8 and ASTER. Anomaly pixels related to spectral features of Al-O–H, Fe, Mg-O–H and CO3 groups as well as lithological attributions from felsic to mafic rocks were detected by the implementation of ICA technique to reflective and thermal bands of Landsat-8 and ASTER. ICA method provided image maps of alteration mineral assemblages and lithological units (mafic to felsic trend) for poorly mapped and/or unmapped regions. Fractional abundance of alteration minerals such as muscovite, kaolinite, illite, montmorillonite, epidote, chlorite and biotite were detected in poorly exposed lithologies using target detection algorithms. Several prospecting areas for Cu, Mo, Au and Ag mineralization related to propyllitically and argillically altered units of Andean Intrusive Suite (AIS) were identified in the southern sector of the study region. The results of this investigation demonstrated the applicability of Landsat-8 and ASTER spectral data for lithological and alteration mineral mapping in poorly exposed lithologies located in inaccessible regions, particularly using the image processing algorithms that are capable of detecting anomaly pixels and sub-pixel targets in the remotely sensed images, where no prior information is available. In conclusion, a simple and robust satellite-based remote sensing approach for mapping poorly exposed lithologies in inaccessible regions was established, which is comprehensively applicable for lithological and alteration mineral mapping in the Antarctic environments and hydrothermal ore minerals prospecting in other inaccessible regions around the world.