Thesis title: Hyperspectral mineral identification for geological mapping and REE exploration

Research interests: Structural geology, remote sensing and spectroscopy

Space-borne hyperspectral data has become increasingly available in recent years and geological surveys and consultancies have begun to use it to inform exploration and mapping campaigns. Minerals preferentially absorb light at particular wavelengths dependent on the vibrations of the chemical bonds within the mineral. Many minerals show maximum absorption in the Short Wavelength Infrared (SWIR), Very Short Wavelength Infrared (VSWIR) and Infrared (IR) spectra. The 2022 launch of the EMIT (Earth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation) instrument on the International Space Station combines sensitivity to wavelengths in the Infrared (IR) and Very Short Wavelength Infrared (VSWIR) fields with a ~60m spatial resolution. The BioSCape project provides airborne hyperspectral data over parts of South Africa. This project seeks to provide proof-of-concept that these data sets can provide information valuable for mineral exploration, with a particular focus on REE-enriched carbonatites which have been shown to display characteristic absorption at wavelengths around 744 and 802 nm.

Supervisors: Associate Professor Alastair Sloan and Dr Kerry Cawse-Nicholson (Caltech/JPL)

Awards:

1. JPL Visiting Student Research Program

Degrees:

1. BSc (Hons) Geology, UCT