The INOVMineral project’s contribution to mineral exploration - a WebGIS integration and visualization of spectral and geophysical properties of the aldeia lct pegmatite spodumene deposit

Due to the current energetic transition, new geological exploration technologies are needed to discover mineral deposits containing critical materials such as lithium (Li). The vast majority of European Li deposits are related to Li–Cs–Ta (LCT) pegmatites. A review of the literature indicates that conventional exploration campaigns are dominated by geochemical surveys and related exploration tools. However, other exploration techniques must be evaluated, namely, remote sensing (RS) and geophysics. This work presents the results of the INOVMINERAL4.0 project obtained through alternative approaches to traditional geochemistry that were gathered and integrated into a webGIS application. The specific objectives were to: (i) assess the potential of high-resolution elevation data; (ii) evaluate geophysical methods, particularly radiometry; (iii) establish a methodology for spectral data acquisition and build a spectral library; (iv) compare obtained spectra with Landsat 9 data for pegmatite identification; and (v) implement a user-friendly webGIS platform for data integration and visualization. Radiometric data acquisition using geophysical techniques effectively discriminated pegmatites from host rocks. The developed spectral library provides valuable insights for spacebased exploration. Landsat 9 data accurately identified known LCT pegmatite targets compared with Landsat 8. The user-friendly webGIS platform facilitates data integration, visualization, and sharing, supporting potential users in similar exploration approaches.The authors acknowledge the support provided by Portuguese national funds through the FCT—Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. (Portugal) projects UIDB/04683/2020 and UIDP/04683/2020 (Institute of Earth Sciences), and through ANI and COMPETE 2020, as well as European funds through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with the POCI- 01-0247-FEDER-046083 INOVMINERAL project. Douglas Santos was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT (Grant: UI/BD/154412/2023). Ricardo Ribeiro is financially supported by FCT within the compass of his Ph.D. thesis, ref. SFRH/BD/140266/2018. C.R.d.A. was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT (Grant: PRT/BD/153518/2021). The spectroradiometer equipment was purchased under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 innovation programme under grant agreement no. 869274, project GREENPEG New Exploration Tools for European Pegmatite Green-Tech Resources.