Use of Modern Multi- and Hyperspectral Space Images for Mapping Hydrothermal Alteration and Lithological Units in the Arctic

Abstract— The article reviews and analyzes domestic and foreign literature on the use of modern multi- and hyperspectral space images from Earth remote sensing satellites for mapping hydrothermal alteration and lithological units in the Arctic territory of Russia and other countries. It is shown that in foreign countries (mainly the United States and Canada) and in Russia today there are many publications on mapping of hydrothermal alterations using spectral bands of remote sensing satellites. At the same time, there are almost no such articles for northern territories. Possibly, this is due to the labor-intensive process of data collection and analysis, the short summer period, dense vegetation, bogginess, etc. The maps obtained using remote sensing technologies have advantages over geological maps. They can be used to identify promising areas in order to optimize further prospecting and exploration works, to build geological and genetic models of deposits, and to supplement traditional methods of mineral exploration.