RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS MINERALS PLACER DEPOSITION MODELING FROM SATELLITE MULTISPECTRAL REMOTE SENSING IMAGING IN A SECTION OF NORTH CAROLINA’S NORTHERN FALL ZONE

The advent of multispectral satellite imaging has allowed surface mapping to be performed remotely. Using light wavelength ranges in both the visible and non-visible spectra, these images can be utilized to interpret surface lithologies and placer deposits. This study has used both combinations and ratios of spectra bands within the visible (0.45 µm - 0.67 µm), near infrared (0.85 µm – 0.88 µm), and shortwave infrared (1.57 µm – 2.29 µm) light wavelength ranges from imagery acquired by the medium-spatial-resolution capturing Operational Land Imager (OLI) onboard the Landsat 8 satellite (an Earth observation collaboration between NASA and USGS) in order to locate surface deposits of iron oxide- and hydroxyl-rich materials. In humid environments lateritic deposits are frequently associated with phosphate minerals such as monazite, which is one of the most abundant rare earth-bearing phosphate minerals. High-density siliciclastic minerals, such as zircon, have recently been observed in the coarse fractions of mined kaolins to be potential and significant sources of rare-earth elements (REE). By identifying areas rich in iron oxide- or hydroxyl-bearing minerals, then comparing these identified areas to other sources of lithologic data - including previously constructed geologic maps and drilling borehole records, this study anticipates aiding in locating areas of high potential for REE-bearing minerals recovery.