Spectral indices for lithologic discrimination and mapping by using the ASTER SWIR bands

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) is a research facility instrument launched on NASA's Terra spacecraft in December 1999. Spectral indices, a kind of orthogonal transformation in the five-dimensional space formed by the five ASTER short-wave-infrared (SWIR) bands, were proposed for discrimination and mapping of surface rock types. These include Alunite Index, Kaolinite Index, Calcite Index, and Montmorillonite Index, and can be calculated by linear combination of reflectance values of the five SWIR bands. The transform coefficients were determined so as to direct transform axes to the average spectral pattern of the typical minerals. The spectral indices were applied to the simulated ASTER dataset of Cuprite, Nevada, USA after converting its digital numbers to surface reflectance. The resultant spectral index images were useful for lithologic mapping and were easy to interpret geologically. An advantage of this method is that we can use the pre-determined transform coefficients, as long as image data are converted to surface reflectance.

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