Research Projects

Mineral exploration resources are crucial for a nation's economy, sustaining economic wealth and industrialization growth. To achieve economic sustainability, advanced sensor technology of remote sensing (RS) is being used for mapping and exploring these resources. Imaging spectroscopy and target detection mapping, particularly in mineral detection, offer greater viability than multispectral RS. Hyperspectral RS can map a wide range of minerals, including iron oxides, clays, micas, amphiboles, carbonates, quartz, pyroxenes, feldspars, and sulphides. The Southern Granulite Terrain (SGT) is a region with high-grade metamorphic rocks and significant mineral resources. Mafic and ultramafic rocks host various metal ores and industrial minerals, making them crucial for mineral exploration studies. Ultramafic complexes hold the chief economic resource of PGE minerals and sulphides. Mafic-ultramafic complexes in Tamil Nadu's Sittampundi, Torappadi, Mettupalayam, Tenmudiyanur, Manmalai, Oddanchatram, and Kadavur are significant mineral resources. Research on mineral exploration in these complexes has been limited, prompting a plan to characterize these complexes and their associated mineral classes using advanced remote sensing and geochemical techniques. Image processing outcomes will be prepared to delineate lithological features and abundance mapping of mineral classes in the proposed study area. A methodology will be developed to optimize spectral bands, image processing techniques, and validation procedures for mapping mafic-ultramafic rocks and associated rocks. This holistic view of the geological scenario is essential for policy-making and updating mineral mapping to support various planetary and other mineral exploration studies.