Remote Sensing as a Method for Predicting Platinum-Metal Mineralization Based on a Study of the Eastern Sector of the Bushveld Complex

Abstract

The differentiated Bushveld Complex (the Republic of South Africa) has been studied on the basis of remote space and gravity-magnetic surveying. This article demonstrates the possibility of using Landsat 7 ETM+ multispectral space surveys and brightness parameters to predict platinum mineralization in new promising areas. Analysis of the gravitational field has shown that platinum mineralization in the studied area is concentrated in a rather narrow range of values, which enables one to use these data as a prospecting indicator. The main conclusions were made and the ability of Landsat 7 ETM+ multispectral space surveys to forecast platinum mineralization in new promising areas was demonstrated. These studies demonstrated the efficiency of integrated remote (space and geophysical) methods for the improvement of the approach to prospecting for platinum–copper–nickel mineralization.