Identification of Zones of Hydrothermally Altered Rocks Using WorldView-2 Data at the Talman Site (Talmanskaya Area, South-Eastern Transbaikal, Russia)

The work is aimed at the practical application of satellite imagery data for the selection of promising areas for geological exploration in conditions of medium-low mountain relief and a sharply continental climate. The results of processing and analysis of WorldView-2 data within the Talmanskaya area are presented in order to identify zones of hydrothermal-metasomatic changes in rocks that are promising for the identification of gold-polymetallic mineralization. The choice of the study area is due to sufficient geological knowledge and the absence of technogenic formations that affect the result of processing satellite imagery materials. To increase the spectral information content of the WorldView-2 data, the spectral channel ratio method was used, as a result of which a pseudo-color RGB composite was created that displays the spectral characteristics of objects on the Earth’s day surface, in particular, minerals of the oxide/hydroxide group containing transitional iron ions (Fe3+ and Fe3+/Fe2+). Comparison of the results of processing satellite data along with geological information made it possible to identify spectral anomalies as indicators of the presence of near-ore changes, which are an important search criterion for hydrothermal deposits.