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Article

Continuum removed band depth analysis for waste detection in the north of Tunisia

ALAYET Faten, MEZNED Nouha, ABDELJAOUAD Saadi, 2015

Earth Resources and Environmental Remote Sensing/GIS Applications VI, 9644, ., 1-5, Octobre 2015

Résumé

The geologic context of the north of Tunisia is favorable to varied mining activities. Wastes quantities which were left over after smelting have a wide spread distribution. These immense quantities threaten soils, vegetation and above all human health. Reflectance spectroscopy provides information about targets between visible (VIS) and shortwave infrared (SWIR) (300–2500 nm) wavelengths. As mine wastes constitute a mixture of minerals, the analysis of the spectral behavior of mine wastes using reflectance spectroscopy is an alternative approach to traditional methods. Signatures resulting from measures reflectance are quantified according to the ratio between reflected energy and incident energy on a defined target. Mine wastes analysis by means of reflectance spectroscopy with respect to laboratory analysis have provided favorable results in detecting and mapping transformation processes in environmental systems, particularly in arid and semiarid climates. In this study we analyze the spectral behavior of mine wastes in the VIS and SWIR regions using hyperspectral reflectance spectroscopy supported by ground-truth based X ray diffraction XRD. Wastes samples collected in the field were measured in situ in order to determine their spectral reflectance properties. The wastes spectral signatures were normalized and compared to laboratory results. This study was performed in the environs of Jebel Ressas mine in the north of Tunisia which is considered as pilot site.