Study on the extraction of iron mineralized alteration information in vegetation covered areas based on remote sensing ASTER data: A case study of Fenghuangshan iron deposit located in Lanling County, Shandong Province, China

Remotely sensed mineralized alteration information is of great significance to geological prospecting and extracting such alteration information in high vegetated areas is difficult. Based on ASTER data, the following processes are performed. First, the ASTER data are geometrically corrected and atmospherically corrected, and water and shadow are masked. Then, principal component analysis method is applied to extract ferric contamination information, which is enhanced and classified by thresholding. Finally, mineralization anomaly regions are delineated with reference to known ore deposits and related alterations. In the fieldwork, the extracted alteration information was verified, proving that the ASTER data are of capacity to acquire minerals' spectral characteristics in the short wave infrared range, which effectively facilitate geological prospecting in densely vegetated regions.