Hyperspectral remote sensing assessment of mining-related environmental impacts:

examples from the MINEO project

S. Chevrel, V.Kuosmanen, K.Groesel, S.Marsh et al.

www.brgm.fr/mineowww.brgm.fr/mineo

Assessing and monitoring the environmental impact of mining environments in Europe

using advanced EO techniques

MINEO objectivesMINEO objectives

• Use advanced (hyperspectral) Earth Observation (EO) to develop innovative tools and methods to update EU mining-related environmental databases

• Develop generic tools and methods to process and exploit these EO data in management information systems for monitoring environmental risk

• Guidelines and standards for data dissemination

Methodological developmentsMethodological developments

Six test sites in various European environmental contexts: hyperspectral airborne data, acquired in Summer 2000

Spectral identification of contaminated areas reference spectral libraries, created throughout project

Image processing to discriminate contaminated areas procedures and algorithms, delivered by end of project

GIS modelling: pollutant dissemination, impact assessments examples of models produced at various stages

Identification, characterisation and mapping of:– Mine waste, acid producing and buffering minerals, residual chemicals

– Dust and oil contamination and water seepage with contaminants

– Mining induced subsidence and changes in groundwater level

MINEO Test sitesMINEO Test sites

• Six current and former mining test sites across a wide range of European environments:

Arctic Greenland

Boreal Finland

Alpine Austria

Central Germany

Maritime United Kingdom

Mediterranean Portugal

Airborne hyperspectral and Airborne hyperspectral and field spectroscopy surveysfield spectroscopy surveys

HyMap (HyVista Corp, Australia)– 126 bands, 450 - 2500 nm– 15-20 nm band width, S/N > 500

Dornier 228 (DLR, Germany)– 2500 m agl, 270 Km/h2500 m agl, 270 Km/h– 5 m pixels5 m pixels, 2500 m swath, 20% overlap, 2500 m swath, 20% overlap

Field measurements during flights– image calibration & reference targets

Summer field campaigns– collected relevant environmental data– spectroradiometric measurements to

populate reference spectral libraries

MSL: MINEO Spectral LibraryMSL: MINEO Spectral Library

MSL tool for:– management– evaluation of– spectra plus

their metadata

MSL fed with:– lab spectra– field spectra– image spectra– location details– environmental

information

MSL links to ENVI

Mine details:Mine details:– evidence of Bronze Age tin mining; massive expansion evidence of Bronze Age tin mining; massive expansion

in 18th century, accompanied by development of copperin 18th century, accompanied by development of copper– lead, silver, zinc, arsenic, tungsten, cobalt bismuth, lead, silver, zinc, arsenic, tungsten, cobalt bismuth,

uranium, antimony also produced at various timesuranium, antimony also produced at various times

Problem:Problem:– drainage contaminated by abandoned mines upstreamdrainage contaminated by abandoned mines upstream

Objective:Objective:– mapping iron-rich material, main minerals responsible mapping iron-rich material, main minerals responsible

for contamination, including AMD-generating materialfor contamination, including AMD-generating material

Method:Method:– Minimum Noise Fraction and Spectral Angle MapperMinimum Noise Fraction and Spectral Angle Mapper

Western-European environment test site:Western-European environment test site:Cornwall copper-tin mining district, UKCornwall copper-tin mining district, UK

Cornwall copper-tin mining district, UK:Cornwall copper-tin mining district, UK:drainage transported contaminationdrainage transported contamination