Hyperspectral remote sensing in mineral exploration: Ammonium-illite as a pathfinder for gold.

摘要

The presence of ammonium-illite on the Earth's surface has been correlated to known deposits via structures at Carlin-type gold deposits, suggesting its importance as a vector for gold ore. Additionally, ammonium-illite has often been proposed as a geochemical exploration tool due to its formation in hydrothermal systems. Very little work has focused on ammonium-illite as an exploration tool due to the costly, time-consuming, and often inaccurate methods of ammonium detection, such as wet chemical methods or X-Ray Diffraction. Short-wave infrared reflectance spectroscopy has the ability to detect even trace amounts of ammonium quickly and effectively.;Two hyperspectral surveys were performed in Elko County, Nevada, USA. The hyperspectral images were processed to identify several clay anomalies, including ammonium-illite, on a regional exploration scale, while field trothing of an existing claim block showed a spatial relationship between ammonium-illite and gold soil anomalies.