Mapping potentially asbestos-bearing rocks using imaging spectroscopy

Rock and soil that may contain naturally occurring asbestos (NOA), a known human carcinogen, were mapped in the Sierra Nevada, California, using the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) to determine if these materials could be uniquely identified with spectroscopy. Such informatio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Geology (Boulder) 2009-08, Vol.37 (8), p.763-766
Main Authors: Swayze, G. A, Kokaly, R. F, Higgins, C. T, Clinkenbeard, J. P, Clark, R. N, Lowers, H. A, Sutley, S. J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
actinolite
amphibole group
Asbestos
AVIRIS
California
carcinogens
chain silicates
classification
clinoamphibole
Environmental geology
Geology
identification
mapping
Plumas County California
pollution
remote sensing
Rocks
serpentine
serpentine group
sheet silicates
Sierra Nevada
silicates
Soils
Spectrum analysis
toxic materials
tremolite
United States
Vegetation
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Summary:Rock and soil that may contain naturally occurring asbestos (NOA), a known human carcinogen, were mapped in the Sierra Nevada, California, using the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) to determine if these materials could be uniquely identified with spectroscopy. Such information can be used to prepare or refine maps of areas that may contain minerals that can be asbestiform, such as serpentine and tremolite-actinolite, which were the focus of this study. Although thick vegetation can conceal underlying rock and soil, use of linear-mixture spectra calculated from spectra of dry grass and serpentine allowed detection of serpentine in some parts of the study area with up to approximately 80% dry-grass cover. Chaparral vegetation, which was dominantly, but not exclusively, found in areas underlain by serpentinized ultramafic rocks, was also mapped. Overall, field checking at 201 sites indicated highly accurate identification by AVIRIS of mineral (94%) and vegetation (89%) categories. Practical applications of AVIRIS to mapping areas that may contain NOA include locating roads that are surfaced with serpentine aggregate, identifying sites that may require enhanced dust control or other safety measures, and filling gaps in geologic mapping where field access is limited.
ISSN:0091-7613
1943-2682
DOI:10.1130/G30114A.1