Identification of Alteration Minerals from Unstable Reflectance Spectra Using a Deep Learning Method

Ore deposits are generally formed by hydrothermal activity, which also forms various types of alteration zones in the vicinity of such deposits. Identifying alteration zones can clarify the mineralization mechanism and provides information indispensable for mineral resource exploration. The application of an alteration halo accompanied by the alteration of host rocks to the exploration of the Kuroko ore deposits produced many results in Japan (see, e.g., [1]). It is important to identify the alteration zone in the exploration of porphyry copper deposits. More than 50% of global copper production is from porphyry copper deposits, making them the most important copper resource.