Potential Of Hyerion Data And Hypersectral Reflectance Spectroscopy For The Characterization Of Fe Iron Ore Deposits In The Nappe Zone In Northern Tunisia

In Tamera mine site, in the North of Tunisia, the reddish color of the soil reveals its richness in iron oxide minerals. The Reflectance spectroscopy has proved its usefulness for the characterization and the estimation of mineral contents as an alternative method. In this study, for the first time in Tunisia a hyperspectral-spectroscopy and spectral ratio imaging are proposed for the characterization and the prospection of iron oxide minerals around Tamera mine site. Thus, 159 soil samples are collected around test sites and measured using an analytical spectral device: ASD FieldSpec HiRes spectroradiometer, which covers the spectral domain between 350 nm and 2500 nm. All samples were analyzed in the laboratory with the X-Ray diffraction XRD method. Results revealed the occurrence of a mineralogy composition consisting particularly of oxide and hydroxide minerals such as hematite, goethite and bearing minerals like clays within all samples. XRD results as well as published spectral library were used for the validation purpose.