Application of WorldView-3 imagery and ASTER TIR data to map alteration minerals associated with the Rodalquilar gold deposits, southeast Spain

Abstract The Rodalquilar epithermal quartz-alunite gold deposits that occur within the Rodalquilar caldera complex in southeast Spain, are associated with a pronounced hydrothermal alteration of the country rocks. The hydrothermal alteration zones that are exposed on the surface consist of the vuggy silica zone, the advanced argillic alteration zone, the intermediate argillic alteration zone, the propylitic alteration zone, and a second stage supergene acid sulfate alteration. High spatial resolution multispectral imagery recorded by the WorldView-3 satellite was used in this study to map the spatial distribution of the main alteration minerals in the Rodalquilar caldera complex. Thermal infrared (TIR) data of the ASTER satellite were used to detect the quartz-rich zones. The analysis of the Rodalquilar WorldView-3 data was based on the Adaptive Coherence Estimator (ACE), a partial unmixing algorithm. The ACE processing accurately mapped the spatial distribution of alunite, kaolinite, illite and goethite. Alunite is abundant in the vuggy silica and advanced argillic alteration zones, and in the second stage supergene acid sulfate alteration. Kaolinite is predominant in the intermediate argillic alteration zone. Illite is abundant in the outer parts of the intermediate argillic alteration zone. Goethite image maps gossans that mainly occur in the vuggy silica and advanced argillic alteration zones, and in the areas characterized by the second stage supergene acid sulfate alteration. The detection of quartz-rich zones from the ASTER TIR data complemented the WorldView-3 mapping results. The study shows the efficiency of high spatial resolution multispectral remote sensing imagery recorded by the WorldView-3 satellite for district-level mineral exploration studies.

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