USGS Spectroscopy Lab

Terrestrial Imaging Spectroscopy Projects (Places we are currently studying, have studied, and are planning to study)

http://speclab.cr.usgs.gov/earth.studies/earth-is.html

• Surficial mineralogy (mineral resources to land management studies),
• Environmental studies,
• Vegetation communities/species,
• Cryptobiotic soils, (where appropriate),
• Research on vegetation health,
• Research on specific ecosystems, and
• Search for abandoned mine lands and assessment of potential mine drainage.

The image here is of the San Juan Mtns of Colorado. by Roger N. Clark

We are accomplishing the above goals using diagnostic spectral features to identify specific molecular absorption bands in the spectra of surficial materials. Currently, we are using the NASA Airborne Visual and Infra-Red Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) system for our mapping. AVIRIS produces approximately 17-meter ground spatial resolution (pixel to pixel spacing) in an image 614 pixels (10.5 km) wide and many kilometers long. The spectra cover the 0.4 to 2.5 micron spectral range in 224 bands at 0.01-micron spacing. This spectral resolution allows us to resolve absorption bands due to specific chemical bonds in materials. Every pixel in the image has such a spectrum, so we are able to spatially map the presence and abundance of those bonds as seen from the aircraft. The chemical bonds are associated with specific materials, whether solid, liquid, or gas. Thus, we can produce maps of specific materials. See the speclab home page for additional details and many examples of what can be done with Imaging Spectroscopy .

Terrestrial sites under study:

Each site below will eventually have its own page. A scene refers to a AVIRIS 512 line by 614 pixel image cube, covering about 90 square kilometers, and comprising about 150 megabytes (including engineering data). Data volume for completed project includes radiance data, surface reflectance data, mapping products, derived maps, support information (field and lab spectroscopy, digitized aerial photography and other information and totals approximately 600 megabytes per scene.

Data publication, distribution, and availability policy

National Parks and Monuments, including:

• Arches and Canyonlands National Parks
• Dinosaur National Monument
• Joshua tree National Park
• Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument
• Petrified Forest National Park
• Rocky Mountain National Park
• Yellowstone National Park

COLORADO SITES

• Alamosa River basin- San Luis Valley (Summitville), Colorado, 1993 data, 10 scenes.)
• Animas River basin, Colorado (AVIRIS 1996 data; 14 scenes, calibrated and preliminary maps complete; field checking mostly complete) (AVIRIS 1992 data included about 20 scenes of same region.) Reports written:
  • Animas Watershed analysis, San Juan Mountains, Colorado Distribution of Acid-Generating and Acid-Buffering Minerals in the Animas River Watershed as Determined by Imaging Spectroscopy (January, 2000).
• Arkansas River (upper end) (including Leadville) Colorado (AVIRIS July 1995 data, 4 scenes, data calibrated and analyzed, reports being written)
• Bonanza, Colorado (1992 and 1994 data, 8 scenes, data calibrated, analyzed, field checked, report in 1998 AVIRIS workshop proceedings [soon to be online])
• Canon City, CO (1989 data, ~2 scenes; report in AVIRIS 1990 workshop proceedings)
• Cripple Creek, CO (1989 data, ~2 scenes; report in AVIRIS 1990 workshop proceedings)
• Colorado Front Range (data acquired July 1, 1997, 76 scenes) (Flight line map)
• Colorado Front Range flight 2 (Oct 21, 1998, ~80 scenes) Secomd flight covers Central City to past Continental Divide, Rocky Mtn N. Park to below Mt Evans (EPA funded)
• Colorado Springs (Sept. 1997, 18 scenes)
• Leadville, Colorado (1995 data, 2 scenes)
• Pueblo Depot (Sept. 1997 data, 8 scenes)
• Summitville, Colorado (1993 data, 10 scenes, same as Alamosa River basin above)

CALIFORNIA SITES

• Barstow, CA (1993 data, 9 scenes, data calibrated and analyzed, field checking complete, report in progress)
• Coast Range mercury mines, California (data acquired July 15, 1997, ~30 scenes)
• Sierra Nevada foothills, California/Nevada (data acquired July 15, 1997, ~30 scenes)
• Mountain Pass, California (1994 data, 2 scenes, data calibrated and analyzed, field checking complete, report to be written)
• Mojave Ecosystems, Ivanpah (year? ~4 scenes), Valjean (1994 data, 4 scenes) (1998 project start)
• Tahoe Basin, CA/NV (Aug 28, 1997 data, 15 scenes): Land Management/lake pollution study.

ARIZONA SITES

• Southern Tucson Basin, Arizona (1996 AVIRIS data, ~12 scenes; calibration complete, preliminary maps complete, field checking underway; expanded AVIRIS coverage, to be acquired in 1999).
• Ray Mine, 1997 data. Mapping minerals at the Ray Mine and area around the mine.

UTAH SITES

• Utah EPA-USGS abandoned mine lands. High altitiude AVIRIS data acquired August, 1998. Low altitude AVIRIS data acquired October, 1998 and October, 1999.
  
  Includes the following areas:
  • Park City and Alta
  • Oquirrh Mtns
  • Leads-Silver Reef
  • Tintic District
  • Tushar Mtns

NEVADA SITES

• Aurora-Bodie, Nevada (1992 data, ~10 scenes, data calibrated and analyzed, study underway)
• Dixie Valley, Nevada (data acquired 5/20/95, 4 scenes, data calibrated and analyzed, report being written).
• Cuprite, Nevada (1990, 1993, 1995 data, ~2 scenes each)
• Tuscarora, NV (1992 data, ~10 scenes)

Phone, email and regular mail addresses of spectroscopy lab personnel for further information.

U.S. Geological Survey, a bureau of the U.S. Department of the Interior
This page URL= http://speclab.cr.usgs.gov/earth.studies/earth-is.html
This page is maintained by: Dr. Roger N. Clark rclark@speclab.cr.usgs.gov
Last modified November 1, 2002.