An evaluation of short‐wave‐infrared (SWIR) data from the AVIRIS and GEOSCAN instruments for mineralogical mapping at Cuprite, Nevada

An evaluation was performed on SWIR (2000–2400 nm) data from two airborne remote sensing systems for discriminating and identifying alteration minerals at Cuprite, Nevada. The data were acquired by the NASA Airborne Visible/InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) and the GEOSCAN Mk II multispectral scanner. The evaluation involved comparison of processed imagery and image‐derived spectra with existing alteration maps and laboratory spectra of rock samples from Cuprite. Results indicate that both the AVIRIS and GEOSCAN data permit the discrimination of areas of alunite, buddingtonite, kaolinite, and silicification using color composite images formed from three SWIR bands processed with either the decorrelation stretch or a log residual algorithm. The laboratory spectral features of alunite, kaolinite and buddingtonite could be seen clearly only in the log residual processed AVIRIS data. However, this does not preclude their identification with the GEOSCAN data.