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Hyperspectral remote sensing monitoring of pyrite mine wastes: a record of climate variability (Pyrite Belt, Spain)

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Abstract

Monitoring of mine waste on sulphide deposits through hyperspectral remote sensing data contributes to predicting surface water quality, quantitatively estimating acid drainage and metal contamination on a yearly basis. The mineralogy of surface crusts loaded with highly soluble salts is a record of available humidity and temperature along the year. A temporal monitoring of salt efflorescence on mine wastes at a mine site in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (Spain) has been mapped in this work using hyperspectral airborne Hymap data. Climate change estimations are made based on oxidation stages derived from well-known sequences of minerals tracing sulphides oxidation intensity, using archive spectral libraries. Therefore, mine-waste weathering products of sulphide mapped from airborne hyperspectral remote sensing data can be used as a short-term record of climate change, providing a useful tool for assessing environmental geoindicators in semi-arid areas.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to J. M. Moreira and A. Gil for information on mine site inventories belonging to the Servicio de Información y Evaluación Ambiental de Andalucía (Spain). N. Zabcic and M. Bachman shared field spectra collection. The Agencia Estatal de Meteorologia provided historic climate data on the area. The Junta de Andalucía granted entrance to restricted areas of the Sotiel mine site. J. M. Nieto and R. Sáez contributed with critical knowledge on the evolution of weathering minerals of local mine sites. E. Bellido and J. A. Martín Rubí performed X-ray diffraction analysis and interpretation. The Science Council of Spain funded part of this work (CGL2005-02462/BTE and CGL2006-01544/CLI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Survey of Spain (IGME), La Calera 1, Tres Cantos, 28760, Madrid, Spain

    Asuncion Riaza

  2. DLR_German Aerospace Research Establishment, Remote Sensing Data Centre, P.O. Box 1116, 82234, Wessling, Germany

    A. Müller

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  1. Asuncion Riaza
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  2. A. Müller
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Correspondence to Asuncion Riaza.

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Riaza, A., Müller, A. Hyperspectral remote sensing monitoring of pyrite mine wastes: a record of climate variability (Pyrite Belt, Spain). Environ Earth Sci 61, 575–594 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-009-0368-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-009-0368-y

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