LAND OCEAN ATMOSPHERE ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY SPACE

MINERAL EXPLORATION
India is a mineral rich country and ranks fourth amongst the mineral
potential countries. According to Geological Survey of India (GSI), around MAJOR HIGHLIGHTS
150 mineral belts with potential mineral zones/ deposits have been
· Lithological, structural &
identified. However, the full mineral potential is yet to be explored and
assessed, thus offering good opportunities for mineral exploration and geomorphological mapping
mining development. Potential areas for exploration ventures include using remote sensing imagery
gold, diamond, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, radioactive minerals, coal, at varied scales
petroleum, etc. Remote Sensing and Geospatial Modeling techniques
have been used for identifying potential areas of mineral occurrences in · Integration of geological,
the country. With the advancements in remote sensing technology, the geophysical and geophysical
current research is focused on exploiting hyperspectral remote sensing data in GIS for finding potential
and advanced modeling techniques in mineral prospecting. areas of mineral occurrence

· Carried out a few

demonstrative case studies in
partnership with GSI, NMDC,
State Mining & Geology
Departments

· Hyperspectral remote sensing

has the strong potential to
identify and map minerals

Geochemical Anomalies
Stream Sediment

Copper MAJOR BENEFITS

(>500 ppm)
(>500 ppm)

Lead
Bedrock

Zinc
Nickel · Identification of potential areas
Cobalt for further detailed exploration
Geochemical mapping of Sakoli Basin for mineral prognostication using GIS and
remote sensing (collaborative study with GSI and National Mineral Development · Detailed geological &
Corporation (NMDC)) geomorphological mapping of
inaccessible areas

High Probability · Mineral-specific geo-

Moderate Probability
Low Probability
environmental models help in
identifying similar geo-
environment elsewhere for
Geospatial Modeling for Diamond exploration in Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh planning detailed exploration
(collaborative study with GSI and NMDC)

www.isro.gov.in Indian Space Research Organisation

 LAND OCEAN ATMOSPHERE ENVIRONMENT SOCIETY SPACE

MINERAL EXPLORATION
OPERATIONAL PRODUCTS / SERVICES
· Detailed lithological, structural and geomorphological
mapping of mineral belts and inaccessible areas
· Creation and integration of geospatial databases
and modeling for mineral prognostication to help
take up detailed exploration activities
· Initiated the activities for preparation of spectral
library of minerals and rocks
RESEARCH AREAS
· Exploration of mineral belts of India through
Hyperspectral Remote Sensing and integrated
mineral-specific models capable of handling
complex processes
· Exploration for Hydrocarbon through integrated
exploration system
· Microwave, thermal, and high-resolution optical
remote sensing data for identifying micro-
mineralisation anomalies

High Probability
Moderate Probability
Low Probability

Sheared blue
quartz vein

Diamond (kimberlite) exploration in Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh):
Extracting mineral-specific anomalies from satellite remote sensing and
inputting to geospatial models leading to identification of potential areas
for diamond mineralisation (collaborative study with GSI and NMDC)
Remote sensing based geospatial modeling for
identification of potential blocks for gold exploration.
Inset shows sheared blue quartz vein in Block-1, indicator
of gold mineralisation (collaborative study with GSI and
NMDC)

Overburden

Laterite Capping

Bauxite Capping

Bauxite enrichment
Mapping of bauxite rich pockets in part of Ranchi Plateau (Jharkhand) using ASTER data-based indices

www.isro.gov.in Indian Space Research Organisation