Detecting different borate mineral zones in the Kirka Borate Open Pit Mine by ASTER satellite images

Abstract

Borate mirerals are among the most important and strategic mineral in the world. As it will probably be used as energy source in the future, it has a great importance. Turkey has about 70% of world reserves of borate deposits and only Kirka area has approximately 830 million tons of borate reserve. The main aim of this study is to discriminate different borate minerals from the Kirka Open Pit Mine by using ASTER satellite images. Remote sensing is used for this purpose. Borax (tincal), colemanite, and ulexite zoning of borate mineralization is obvious in the Kirka Borate Open Pit Mine. Different remote sensing techniques have been applied to see whether it is possible to differentiate these different mineralization zones. The techniques which were applied in this study are density slicing, band ratio, decorrelation stretch and classification. At the end of the study, it is understood that application of remote sensing techniques for discriminate borate minerals like borax, ulexite and colemanite is going to reach succesful result.