GSI to use remote sensing technology to locate mineral deposits
Kolkata: For the first time in India, Geological Survey of India (GSI) is going to use ultramodern remote sensing technology with the help of sensor developed by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), USA called — "Advanced Visible Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG)" to locate minerals like lead, zinc, copper, platinum, diamond, gold and other associated minerals.
"This sensor is an engineering marvel and has been proved effective for mapping surface mineralogy in different parts of the world," a senior GSI official said.
Recently, AVIRIS-NG sensor was mounted onboard ISRO aircraft for acquiring the hyperspectral images for fourteen mineralized blocks in different parts of India, namely Jhagadia and Ambaji of Gujarat, Zawar, Udaipur, Pur Banera, Jahazpur and Bhukia in Rajasthan, Hutti-Maski in Karnataka, Wajrakarur in Andhra Pradesh, Sittampundi in Tamil Nadu, KuhiKhobna in Maharashtra, Tundi in Jharkhand and Chattarpur in Madhya Pradesh.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been recently signed between the GSI and the National Remote Sensing Centre-Indian Space Research Organization (NRSC-ISRO) in Kolkata in presence of Dr Dinesh Gupta, Director General, GSI and Santanu Chowdhury, Director, NRSC.
The main objective of the MoU is to utilise these airborne hyperspectral data by the scientists of GSI and ISRO to find surface signatures of mineralization in those 14 promising areas in the next 3 years. As a matter of fact, every mineral shows specific spectral character and hence hyperspectral remote sensing is used to detect minerals based on their spectral characteristics.
It may be mentioned that hyperspectral data has immense potential for mineral exploration with regard to mapping of the host rock and surface alterations associated with the mineral forming processes.
Hyperspectral remote sensing, also known as imaging spectroscopy, are not only used on earth but also used for mapping minerals on Moon and Mars.
