Active hyperspectral rock face scanning with a supercontinuum laser

Underground environments present a challenge for hyperspectral outcrop analysis. Besides operational safety and moisture, illumination is the main concern in data acquisition. We demonstrate a supercontinuum laser for illuminating rock faces in hyperspectral data acquisition. We present early results of combining an off-the-shelf hyperspectral camera with a supercontinuum laser system, measured at night on rock faces in a former open-pit mine in southeast Spain as a proxy for underground lighting conditions. Band ratios specifically developed for this geological setting and low-light conditions highlight key minerals that can be used as a vector toward the ore zone. We conclude that we can successfully highlight the key indicator minerals and their distribution patterns to define the gold-bearing ore zone, and that supercontinuum white laser light is a feasible illumination source for hyperspectral line scanners under field conditions.