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Hyperspectral remote sensing characteristics of clay minerals in the Yishu fault zone and their implications for geothermal resource explorations
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 March 2026
Abstract
Clay minerals in the Yishu fault zone, as typical products of hydrothermal activity, carry critical information regarding subsurface geothermal processes. To clarify their hyperspectral remote sensing characteristics and their guiding value for geothermal resource exploration, this study takes the Yishu fault zone and three key subareas (Tangtou, Tongjing and Fangzi) as the research objects. Based on ZY1-02D hyperspectral remote sensing data, combined with principal component analysis and the Crósta method, we analysed the spectral features of typical clay minerals (illite, montmorillonite and chlorite) and extracted their spatial distribution patterns. In addition, ZY1-02E thermal infrared data were used to invert the land surface temperature so as to explore the spatial correlation between clay mineral distribution and geothermal anomalies. The results show that the spatial distribution of clay minerals is closely associated with fault structures, being mainly concentrated along the four major fault belts of the Yishu fault zone and their surrounding areas. High-intensity hydrothermal alteration zones dominated by clay minerals exhibit significant spatial overlap with surface temperature anomalies. The consistent distribution of clay minerals and known geothermal fields further confirms that the hyperspectral characteristics of clay minerals can effectively indicate the upwelling channels and accumulation zones of geothermal fluids. This study provides a rapid and accurate technical method for geothermal resource prospecting in the Yishu fault zone and other tectonically similar regions.
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- © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Mineralogical Society of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
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