Mapping minerals remotely: how hyperspectral imaging can support exploration

Satellites are already used in mineral exploration, but advances in technology are creating new opportunities for more sophisticated remote prospecting. Researchers in Utah are combining satellites, hyperspectral imaging and AI to discover mineral deposits.

Discovering new deposits of critical and rare earth minerals is paramount to delivering global net-zero ambitions. However, finding new ore bodies is becoming more challenging due to increasing costs and geopolitical tensions. What is more, much of the low-hanging fruit, so to speak, has already been exploited.

Could technological advances help broaden the search and speed up the process? Dr. Bryony Richards, a senior research scientist with the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah in the US, believes so.

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Utah FORGE: Building Relationships and Geothermal Understanding in Beaver County

Beaver dams might look like scattered piles of sticks in the water but they serve an important role in offering protection and a training ground for young beavers to learn dam-building skills. In Beaver County, Utah—named after the many beaver dams in the region—another project has successfully been providing benefits to its community: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Geothermal Technologies Office’s (GTO) largest initiative, the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE).  Read more

A new type of climate-friendly energy is coming online in the U.S. Southwest

Utah scientists fracked Beaver County — then proved the earth’s heat can provide clean energy