The increasing demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) has intensified the need for innovative exploration tools capable of identifying mineralization at multiple scales. In this context, vanadium remains relatively underexplored from a hyperspectral perspective. This study investigates vanadates using remote and proximal hyperspectral methods across two African case studies: the V-bearing Zn-Pb carbonate-hosted mineralization of the Otavi Mountainland (Namibia), characterized by vegetation-covered outcrops, and the Mibladen district (Morocco), representing an environment with ideal exposure conditions for mineral exploration. Outcrop samples were analyzed using laboratory-hyperspectral imaging, while district-scale investigations were conducted with the satellite Italian Space Agency's PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA). The analysis enabled the identification and validation of diagnostic spectral features associated with phyllosilicates (e.g., smectite, sauconite), carbonates (e.g., calcite, dolomite, and smithsonite), and novel features associated with vanadates (e.g., descloizite and mottramite), as well as their spectral discrimination. In the Mibladen district, hyperspectral satellite data successfully mapped mineral assemblages and highlighted potential vanadium mineralization by combining spectral features at around 620 nm (vanadates) and 900 nm (Fe-oxy-hydroxides). In contrast, the vegetation cover in the Otavi Mountainland significantly limited satellite-based detection. This study provides one of the first demonstrations of vanadium-targeted hyperspectral exploration at both sample and satellite scales. The integration of hyperspectral data with geological and geochemical information provides a robust framework for evaluating the applicability of remote sensing techniques and improving mineral exploration strategies in metallogenic districts.
Hyperspectral mapping of vanadates using satellite and laboratory data: Case studies from the Otavi Mountainland (Namibia) and the Mibladen (Morocco) mining districts
Casarotto, Bruno;Massironi, Matteo;
2026
Abstract
The increasing demand for critical raw materials (CRMs) has intensified the need for innovative exploration tools capable of identifying mineralization at multiple scales. In this context, vanadium remains relatively underexplored from a hyperspectral perspective. This study investigates vanadates using remote and proximal hyperspectral methods across two African case studies: the V-bearing Zn-Pb carbonate-hosted mineralization of the Otavi Mountainland (Namibia), characterized by vegetation-covered outcrops, and the Mibladen district (Morocco), representing an environment with ideal exposure conditions for mineral exploration. Outcrop samples were analyzed using laboratory-hyperspectral imaging, while district-scale investigations were conducted with the satellite Italian Space Agency's PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA). The analysis enabled the identification and validation of diagnostic spectral features associated with phyllosilicates (e.g., smectite, sauconite), carbonates (e.g., calcite, dolomite, and smithsonite), and novel features associated with vanadates (e.g., descloizite and mottramite), as well as their spectral discrimination. In the Mibladen district, hyperspectral satellite data successfully mapped mineral assemblages and highlighted potential vanadium mineralization by combining spectral features at around 620 nm (vanadates) and 900 nm (Fe-oxy-hydroxides). In contrast, the vegetation cover in the Otavi Mountainland significantly limited satellite-based detection. This study provides one of the first demonstrations of vanadium-targeted hyperspectral exploration at both sample and satellite scales. The integration of hyperspectral data with geological and geochemical information provides a robust framework for evaluating the applicability of remote sensing techniques and improving mineral exploration strategies in metallogenic districts.
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