An Earth Observation Framework for the Lithium Exploration

This paper presents an overview of a large research project involving collaboration from the government, academia and industry on lithium (Li) exploration in South-West Cornwall, UK. Scope of the study is to assess the utility of remote sensing technologies in the mining sector, with a particular focus on lithium. A wide range of datasets (including multispectral and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)) are used to delineate the various steps of the project. The ultimate aims are the generation of a map with the probability of lithium occurrence and a complementary environmental baseline study. For the first aim, geological and vegetation anomalies maps indicating proxies for the presence of lithium, derived from multi- and hyperspectral data, and fault lines, derived from SAR imagery, are integrated with in-situ data and a ground-based campaign. The second aim involves the generation of a high-resolution land cover classification and a historical time series analysis to provide an environmental baseline study for the assessment of the impact of mining activities.