Charles Darwin University. Completed.
An evaluation of remote-sensing technologies for rehabilitated mine
site assessment
Summary
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Progress
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More information
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The objective is to evaluate the use of remote sensing and
Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques to assess the
rehabilitation of two abandoned mine sites, Rum Jungle (NT) and
Captains Flat (NSW).
Traditionally, assessing the rehabilitation of mine sites relies on
field data assessment that can be time-consuming and expensive. In
addition, localised traditional field site measurements do not
sample the entire surface and are often collected in fragmented
field studies.
Remote-sensing techniques coupled with a GIS could potentially
provide a synoptic view of all landscape elements, low-cost
coverage and use of spectral information for surface feature
identification.
However, as mine sites are characteristically spatially complex and
occupy small areas of land, the remotely sensed options for direct
mine-site rehabilitation assessment are limited.
This study focuses on the analysis of data collected by airborne
hyperspectral sensors that provide high spatial and spectral
resolutions.
Research and write-up to date has focused on the use and analysis
of hyperspectral remotely sensed images over abandoned mine sites
for determining the usefulness and suitability of hyperspectral
remote sensing to assess rehabilitation. Rum Jungle (NT) and
Captains Flat (NSW) were chosen as study areas. Both of these areas
are historical mine sites and produce acid.
As an example, results at Captains Flat showed that with
appropriate corrections for atmospheric contributions and with
field spectrometer readings, minerals produced as a result of
acid-generating processes, such as jarosite, ferrihydrite, and
shwertmannite, could be detected, discriminated, and spatially
located. Hyperspectral remote-sensing techniques also allow
determination of vegetation cover and health.
Rum Jungle is located 64 km south of Darwin, on the east Finniss
River. It was mined for Uranium and Copper deposits from 1952 to
1971. There was very little legislation covering mining operations
at this time and as a result severe environmental degradation
occurred. Rehabilitation began some 10 years after mining ceased,
and was a result of aesthetic, public
health and environmental concerns.
