Processing of Multispectral ASTER Data to Delineate Bauxite Abundant Zones and its Geochemical Characterisation Deposited over Deccan Traps of Central India in Mainpat Plateau, Surguja District, Chhattisgarh

The current study deals with the application of Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral data to delineate bauxite deposits over Mainpat plateau, Surguja district, Chhattisgarh, India. Application of specific band combinations help to delineate bauxite in the (SWIR) region (2.16-2.33 mu m) and visible near infrared (VNIR) band (0.4-1.0 mu m) of multispectral ASTER data. Various image processing techniques like atmospheric correction, minimum noise fraction, pixel purity index, n-dimensional visualiser, and spectral angle mapper were applied to ASTER image to delineate bauxite rich zones. The pure pixels were differentiated from the mixed pixels using pixel purity index which were further subjected to n-dimensional visualiser to identify the target end-members. The presence of bauxite was confirmed by comparing the spectral signatures of end-members with in-built spectral plots of United States Geological Survey spectral libraries and categorized as bauxite and ferruginous bauxite. Finally, the end-members were categorised as bauxite and ferruginous bauxite and mapped using spectral angle mapper. The result obtained was further compared with the lithological map provided by Geological Survey of India for accuracy. Then XRF analysis was carried out for the collected samples to confirm the presence of bauxite and ferruginous bauxite. Geochemical analysis also categorized the samples as bauxite and ferruginous bauxite that added accuracy to the results obtained from remote sensing technique. This study might be considered as a time saving eco-friendly exploitation of natural resources and finally the potential of multispectral ASTER data for mapping mineral resources.

Automated summary

This study utilizes Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) multispectral data to delineate bauxite deposits in the Mainpat plateau, Surguja district, Chhattisgarh, India. Specific band combinations are used to identify bauxite in the SWIR and VNIR bands of the ASTER data. Various image processing techniques are applied to the ASTER image, including atmospheric correction, minimum noise fraction, pixel purity index, n-dimensional visualiser, and spectral angle mapper, to delineate bauxite rich zones. The presence of bauxite is confirmed by comparing the spectral signatures with spectral libraries and categorizing them as bauxite and ferruginous bauxite. Geochemical analysis and XRF analysis further validate the results obtained from remote sensing technique. This study demonstrates the potential of multispectral ASTER data in mapping mineral resources.