Hyperspectral and geophysical survey for the development of new exploration approaches in the Iberian Pyrite Belt/Spain

The German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) initiated a research project which combines remote sensing and geophysical data to improve the detection and 3D-characterisation of mineral resource deposits. To evaluate this new approach, hyperspectral remote sensing, airborne full tensor gradient magnetometry and gamma-ray spectrometry data will be acquired. Test areas are mining regions with Cu-Pb-Zn mineralisation of volcano-sedimentary-hosted massive sulphide deposits in Aznalcollar — Los Frailes and Tharsis in the Iberian Pyrite Belt/Spain. This paper presents the concept of this project, preliminary results of field and laboratory reflectance spectroscopy of rock samples in the visible, near- and shortwave infrared as well as results of the airborne gamma-ray spectrometry and gradient magnetometry campaign.