Application of MAIS (Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer) data for mineral prospection in Gansu Province, China

Landsat TM (Thematic Mapper) and the MAIS (Modular Airborne Imaging Spectrometer) data have been applied for geological investigations and mineral prospection in the Province Gansu of Northwest China. 32 spectral bands ranging from 0.5-2.44 μm out of the MAIS scanner were selected and used for an aircraft campaign in 1993 to record data covering four test areas within the North-Qilian orogenic zone in the Province. Field spectra of representative rocks in the areas were measured during the campaign. The TM data served firstly as a basis for planning the MAIS campaign and then to map structural lineaments and lithostratigraphic sequences. But in the study area the TM data are not suitable for recognizing the hydrothermally altered rocks, because the spectral features of the altered rocks are not accordant with the TM bands due to the bandwidth. The MAIS data were calibrated and thematically processed for recognizing the hydrothermally altered rocks, which have a close relationship to mineralization and can be used as a tracer for mineral prospection in the study area. This paper discusses the hyperspectral method and summarizes the results in one test area-Changma