ASTER Map of Western Australia
A collaborative project between:
C3DMM - Western Australian Centre of Excellence for 3D Mineral Mapping
GSWA – Geological Survey of Western Australia
Introduction
The WA ASTER Map is a collaborative project between CSIRO’s Western Australian
Centre of Excellence for 3D Mineral Mapping (http://c3dmm.csiro.au/) and GSWA.
This project is part of a bigger initiative with the Australian geological surveys (federal
and state) working towards an ASTER geoscience map of the Australian continent.
Amongst the national set of standard, publicly available, web accessible geoscience
products derived from ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and
Reflective Radiometer, http://asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/) are the following maps:
•False colour
•Green vegetation content
•CSIRO “regolith” ratios
•AlOH group (clay) content & composition
•Kaolin and “Advanced argillic alteration”
•Ferric oxide content
•Ferrous iron content
•Opaques
•Fe-OH group content
•MgOH/carbonate group & composition
•Ferrous iron content in MgOH
•Ferric iron content in MgOH
Kaolin content &
Advanced argillic
alteration
low
high
Ferrous iron
abundance index
low
high
7720000
False Colour
Instrument
VNIR
SWIR
TIR
Bands
3
6
5
Spatial resolution
15m
30m
90m
Swath Width
60km
Si-CCD
60km
PtSi-CCD
60km
HgCdTe
(5000x4)
(2048x6)
(10x5)
Dectector
Scan
Pushbroom Pushbroom
Whiskbroom
Crosstrack pointing
±24.0°
±8.55°
±8.55°
Table 1: Specifications of the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and
Reflective Radiometer (ASTER)
7700000
7700000
Processing and Delivery
Compared to Landsat, ASTER has five additional bands in the SWIR (Table 1), which
can be used to identify additional mineral groups, such as clay minerals, carbonates and
hydrated MgOH-bearing silicates. However, the processing methodology must correct
for instrument and atmospheric effects before mineral information can be extracted.
C3DMM is developing workflows and software applications, that include these
processing steps to deliver seamless, cross-calibrated, high-quality geoscience
products. The displayed images (‘false colour composite’, ‘ferrous iron abundance
index’, ‘kaolin content & advanced argillic alteration’) show preliminary geoscience
products. The delivery of the final WA ASTER Map is scheduled for June 2011, whereas
470000
450000
the release of the national Australian Geoscience Map is planned during the 34th
International Geological Congress in Brisbane, August 2012.
ASTER related literature:
Cudahy, T., Jones, M., Thomas, M., Laukamp, C., Caccetta, M., Hewson, R., Rodger, A., Verrall, M. (2008): Next Generation Mineral Mapping: Queensland airborne HyMap and satellite
ASTER surveys 2006-2008.- CSIRO report P2007/364, 161pp.
Hewson, R.D., Cudahy, T.J., Mizuhiko, S., Ueda, K., Mauger, K. (2005): Seamless geological map generation using ASTER in the Broken Hill-Curnamona province of Australia.- Remote
Sensing of Environment, 99, 159-172.
Hewson, R.D., and Cudahy, T.J. (2010). ‘Geological mapping accuracy issues using ASTER in Australia.’ Applications in ASTER, Land Remote Sensing and Global Environmental
Change: NASA’s Earth Observing System and the Science of ASTER and MODIS. Eds. Ramachandran, B, Justice, C, and Abrams M., Springer, New York..
Jones, M., Cudahy, T., Thomas, M., Laukamp, C. (2008): Hyperspectral and ASTER mineral maps of Queensland.- Preview, Australian Soc. of Exploration Geologists, 136, 28-29.
Laukamp, C. (2008): Validation of Spectral Techniques for Exploration in the Mt Isa Terrane.- In: Sheldon, H.A.: Enabling Technologies - pmd*CRC Project M4, M9 & F6 Final Rep., 89-94.
contact:
phone:
email:
web:
Tom Cudahy
(08) 6436 8630
thomas.cudahy@csiro.au
http://c3dmm.csiro.au