Exploring the Potential of HySpex Hyperspectral Imagery for Extraction of Copper Content

Detritus geochemical information has been proven through research to be an effective prospecting method in mineral exploration. However, the traditional detritus metal content monitoring methods based on field sampling and laboratory chemical analysis are time-consuming and may not meet the requirements of large-scale metal content monitoring. In this study, we obtained 95 detritus samples and seven HySpex hyperspectral imagery scenes with a spatial resolution of 1 m from Karatag Gobi area, Xinjiang, China, and used partial least squares and wavebands selection methods to explore the usefulness of super-low-altitude HySpex hyperspectral images in estimating detritus feasibility and effectiveness of Cu element content. The results show that: (1) among all the inversion models of transformed spectra, power-logarithm transformation spectrum was the optimal prediction model (coefficient of determination(R²) = 0.586, mean absolute error(MAE) = 21.405); (2) compared to the genetic algorithm (GA) and continuous projection algorithm (SPA), the competitive weighted resampling algorithm (CARS) was the optimal feature band-screening method. The R² of the inversion model was constructed based on the characteristic bands selected by CARS reaching 0.734, which was higher than that of GA (0.519) and SPA (0.691), and the MAE (19.926) was the lowest. Only 20 bands were used in the model construction, which is lower than that of GA (105) and SPA (42); (3) The power-logarithm transforms, and CARS combined with the model of HySpex hyperspectral images and the Cu content distribution in the study area were obtained, consistent with the actual survey results on the ground. Our results prove that the method incorporating the HySpex hyperspectral data to invert copper content in detritus is feasible and effective, and provides data and a reference method for obtaining geochemical element distribution in a large area and for reducing key areas of geological exploration in the future.