Hydrothermal Alteration Maps of the U.S. Basin and Range from ASTER Data

A collection of maps identifying hydrothermally altered rocks in the central and southern Basin and Range province of the United States. The maps were compiled using ASTER satellite data and IDL logical operator algorithms by the CEOS_EXTRA organization. They delineate four alteration types: hydrothermal silica-rich, propylitic, argillic, and phyllic rocks.

Use Cases

• Identify potential mineral deposit locations by analyzing mapped hydrothermal silica-rich rock units.
• Classify regional alteration patterns using the separate propylitic mineral groups of calcite-dolomite and epidote-chlorite.
• Validate geological field surveys by cross-referencing with the provided argillic (alunite-pyrophyllite-kaolinite) and phyllic (sericite-muscovite) rock shapefiles.
• Conduct regional geological studies by overlaying the hydrothermal alteration units on the provided Landsat TM band 7 orthorectified base images.

Strengths

• Maps cover a large geographic region: the central and southern Basin and Range province of the United States.
• Data discriminates between four specific hydrothermal alteration mineral groups.

Limitations

• The spatial resolution of the source ASTER data limits the detection of small-scale alteration features.
• Map accuracy is dependent on the specific IDL logical operator algorithms used, which may not capture all alteration types.

Provenance

Source

CEOS_EXTRA, utilizing NASA's Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data.

Collection Method

Processed using Interactive Data Language (IDL) logical operator algorithms applied to ASTER satellite imagery.

Geography

Central and southern Basin and Range province of the United States.