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Título

EXPLORATION OF LCT PEGMATITES THROUGH MULTISPECTRAL IMAGING AND PRINCIPAL COMPONENT ANALYSIS

Texto do resumo

With the increasing demand for materials crucial to technological advancements aimed at global energy transition and decarbonization initiatives, the pursuit of strategic chemical elements such as Li, Ta, Mn, C, Co, Ni, and rare earth elements has emerged as a defining trend in the mineral industry. LCT family pegmatites have garnered global attention as primary sources of Li for battery production. Particularly in semi-arid regions characterized by limited weathering profiles and nearsurface exposed pegmatites, the utilization of multispectral imaging proves invaluable in identifying such mineral deposits. This study employs the principal component analysis technique (PCA) on multispectral satellite imagery to discern these formations. Leveraging eigenvector matrices and factorial loadings graphs, the analysis accentuates key spectral disparities between the targets and their geological surroundings.
The primary aim of this investigation is to identify swarms of pegmatitic intrusions situated within the Pegmatitic Province of Borborema, Northeast Brazil. Furthermore, the objective entails the development of a web application using Google Earth Engine (GEE) to streamline the visualization and analysis of the PCA-derived outcomes.
Sentinel-2 satellite images were acquired via GEE, utilizing the L2A collection pre-harmonized for surface reflectance. Following this, the PCA technique was implemented to discern the variables conducive to recognizing spectral patterns associated with pegmatite composition. Upon identification of these vectors, a color-enhanced image was generated utilizing these newly derived factors.
The principal component analysis effectively delineated various pegmatite swarms, with the utilization of Sentinel2 images proving optimal owing to their high spatial resolution and spectral breadth. The web application crafted on GEE, featuring split slider functionality, greatly eased the visualization and comparison of the resultant images.
The integration of the PCA technique with multispectral images emerges as a potent instrument for field identification of LCT pegmatites, particularly advantageous in semi-arid climatic zones. Its visualization via the web application represents a pioneering tool in implementing this methodology, rendering it both practical and accessible for professionals and researchers engaged in mineral exploration, with a specific focus on lithium-bearing pegmatites.

Palavras Chave

Mineral Exploration; Orbital Data; MSI/Sentinel-2