Dr. Oscar Kamps
Caltech postdoc

Topic: Mineral mapping using orbital hyperspectral data from Earth and Mars

Academic Host: Bethany Ehlmann

Abstract: Visible and shortwave infrared spectroscopy has been used for decades to study the geology of remote environments. By analyzing the spectral absorption features characteristic of different minerals we can map mineral distribution, for example, to study the mineral potential of remote regions on Earth and reconstruct the geological history of planets such as Mars. Advances in sensor technology are providing increasingly detailed and higher-quality datasets, allowing us to push the limits of what can be detected from remote sensing. In this talk, I will present two projects on Earth and Mars that explore these limits: on Earth, I investigate the detectability of rare earth element minerals in active mines using multitemporal hyperspectral data, while on Mars, I test the detectability of minerals that record water–rock interaction at elevated temperatures. Together, these studies demonstrate how hyperspectral remote sensing can be used to investigate geological processes and resources in remote and inaccessible environments.