A standardized remote sensing methodology for mapping mineralogical mining waste anomalies across European countries using principal component analysis and GIS data integration

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology based on medium resolution satellite images (Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper), adapted and further developed from a variant of a Principal Components Analysis used for geological exploration, which took into consideration the spectral bands in the visible and infrared wavelengths where the minerals of interest exhibited diagnostic features. The method was developed to be applied for an inventory of mining wastes at pan-European scale and was successfully tested in known mining regions with closed exploitations in Upper Silesia (Poland), Romania and Slovakia. The results were validated against European (CORINE Land Cover) and national data sets. A Mining Anomaly Index was computed at catchment scale, to determine the most vulnerable river basins from which pollutants from the extractive industry could be further transported to the seas. In view of the present increased demand for metals and critical raw materials, the principles of the described methodology could be applied to the new satellite sensors, with increased ground and spectral resolution.