ASSESSING ACID MINE DRAINAGE HAZARD WITH REMOTELY-SENSED MINERALOGY FROM THE EARTH SURFACE MINERAL DUST SOURCE INVESTIGATION (EMIT) (Invited Presentation)

The Earth surface Mineral dust source InvesTigation (EMIT) mission has been collecting visible to shortwave infrared spectra of Earth’s surface since being installed on the International Space Station in 2022. The primary goals for these imaging spectroscopy data are to identify the abundance of surface minerals in arid dust-producing regions, and then assess the heating and cooling effects of mineral dust in Earth’s atmosphere. These mineralogy detections provide information for other applications, such as the assessment of acid mine drainage which can leave mineralogical signals on the surface. When mining operations expose iron sulfides, they tend to form sulfuric acid and release associated toxic metals. This is a significant environmental hazard, destroying stream habitats and contaminating water supplies. The problem is pervasive in the western United States, and identifying acidic and iron sulfate mineralogy in proximity to mining operations may aid in recognizing active acid mine drainage. Building on and scaling up from previously successful airborne studies of regions experiencing acid mine drainage and assessing mine waste, we are investigating the application of EMIT data in evaluating acid mine draining hazards.

In this presentation, we will showcase our ongoing work investigating the application of EMIT mineralogy data in the assessment of acid mine drainage. We will present our methodologies, the main application of which has direct traceability to mission products produced by the EMIT team. Our key method takes relevant mineral identifications from the EMIT data, derives the mineral context from mining, hydrography, and watershed databases, and synthesizes findings into a useable product for end-users, aiding in identifying potential areas of interest. Analysis of case-study sites will be presented. These case studies were chosen by the guidance of stakeholders and land managers in the USGS, USFS, and EPA. They include Leadville, Colorado, the Bonita Peak Mining District, Colorado, and several national forests in Arizona. We are also investigating the demonstration sites being investigated by the Federal Mining Dialogue critical minerals subgroup. We are working towards delivering acid mine drainage risk assessment products to the public EMIT portal, as well as incorporation into other ongoing efforts of mine risk assessment using data fusion.