Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas
The demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is increasing due to the need to decarbonize economies and transition to a sustainable low-carbon future achieving climate goals. To address this, the European Union is investing in the discovery of new mineral deposits within its territory. The S34I proje...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Remote Sensing |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/2/305 |
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| author | Morgana Carvalho Joana Cardoso-Fernandes Francisco Javier González Ana Claudia Teodoro |
| author_facet | Morgana Carvalho Joana Cardoso-Fernandes Francisco Javier González Ana Claudia Teodoro |
| author_sort | Morgana Carvalho |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is increasing due to the need to decarbonize economies and transition to a sustainable low-carbon future achieving climate goals. To address this, the European Union is investing in the discovery of new mineral deposits within its territory. The S34I project (Secure and Sustainable Supply of Raw Materials for EU Industry) is developing Earth observation (EO) methods to support this goal. This study compares the performance of two satellites, Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9, for mineral exploration in two geologically distinct areas in northern Spain. The first area, Ria de Vigo, contains marine placer deposits of heavy minerals, while the second, Aramo, hosts Co-Ni epithermal deposits. These sites provide exceptional case studies to improve EO-based methods for CRM exploration onshore and coastal regions, focusing on deposits often overlooked in remote sensing studies. Standard remote sensing methods such as RGB combinations, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and band ratios were adapted and compared for both satellites. The results showed similar performance in the Ria de Vigo area, but Sentinel-2 performed better in Aramo, identifying a higher number of zones of mineral alterations. The study highlights the advantages of Sentinel-2’s higher spatial resolution, especially for mapping smaller or more scattered mineral deposits. These findings suggest that Sentinel-2 could play a larger role in mineral exploration. This research provides valuable insights into using EO data for diverse CRM deposits. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0c582cffd9f440109d575c7a93285c2b |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-4292 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Remote Sensing |
| spelling | doaj-art-0c582cffd9f440109d575c7a93285c2b2025-01-24T13:48:04ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-01-0117230510.3390/rs17020305Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal AreasMorgana Carvalho0Joana Cardoso-Fernandes1Francisco Javier González2Ana Claudia Teodoro3Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, PortugalInstitute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, PortugalMarine Geology Resources and Extreme Environments, Geological Survey of Spain (IGME-CSIC), C/Ríos Rosas 23, 28003 Madrid, SpainInstitute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Rua Campo Alegre s/n, 4169-007 Porto, PortugalThe demand for Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is increasing due to the need to decarbonize economies and transition to a sustainable low-carbon future achieving climate goals. To address this, the European Union is investing in the discovery of new mineral deposits within its territory. The S34I project (Secure and Sustainable Supply of Raw Materials for EU Industry) is developing Earth observation (EO) methods to support this goal. This study compares the performance of two satellites, Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9, for mineral exploration in two geologically distinct areas in northern Spain. The first area, Ria de Vigo, contains marine placer deposits of heavy minerals, while the second, Aramo, hosts Co-Ni epithermal deposits. These sites provide exceptional case studies to improve EO-based methods for CRM exploration onshore and coastal regions, focusing on deposits often overlooked in remote sensing studies. Standard remote sensing methods such as RGB combinations, Principal Component Analysis (PCA), and band ratios were adapted and compared for both satellites. The results showed similar performance in the Ria de Vigo area, but Sentinel-2 performed better in Aramo, identifying a higher number of zones of mineral alterations. The study highlights the advantages of Sentinel-2’s higher spatial resolution, especially for mapping smaller or more scattered mineral deposits. These findings suggest that Sentinel-2 could play a larger role in mineral exploration. This research provides valuable insights into using EO data for diverse CRM deposits.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/2/305earth observationcritical raw materialsmarine placer depositscobaltnickelmineral exploration |
| spellingShingle | Morgana Carvalho Joana Cardoso-Fernandes Francisco Javier González Ana Claudia Teodoro Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas Remote Sensing earth observation critical raw materials marine placer deposits cobalt nickel mineral exploration |
| title | Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas |
| title_full | Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas |
| title_fullStr | Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas |
| title_full_unstemmed | Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas |
| title_short | Comparative Performance of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 Data for Raw Materials’ Exploration Onshore and in Coastal Areas |
| title_sort | comparative performance of sentinel 2 and landsat 9 data for raw materials exploration onshore and in coastal areas |
| topic | earth observation critical raw materials marine placer deposits cobalt nickel mineral exploration |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/2/305 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT morganacarvalho comparativeperformanceofsentinel2andlandsat9dataforrawmaterialsexplorationonshoreandincoastalareas AT joanacardosofernandes comparativeperformanceofsentinel2andlandsat9dataforrawmaterialsexplorationonshoreandincoastalareas AT franciscojaviergonzalez comparativeperformanceofsentinel2andlandsat9dataforrawmaterialsexplorationonshoreandincoastalareas AT anaclaudiateodoro comparativeperformanceofsentinel2andlandsat9dataforrawmaterialsexplorationonshoreandincoastalareas |