Detecting Oxides Mineralization Utilizing Remote Sensing and Comprehensive Mineralogical Analysis: A Case Study Around Mikbi-Zayatit District, South Eastern Desert, Egypt

Undoubtedly, involving more tools, datasets, and techniques for detecting the mineralized areas sharply narrow the zones to be investigated and delivered, in most cases highly potential zones. Consequently, this study is an attempt to apply remote sensing data including Sentinel 2 and ASTER, field observations, petrography of the hydrothermal alteration processes, ore microscopic investigations, X-ray examinations, and EDX analysis to detect and emphasize mineralization types at Wadi Mikbi and Wadi Zayatit district, South Eastern Desert, Egypt. Towards accurate lithological mapping, remote sensing data, previous geological maps, and the field investigations recorded serpentinites, ophiolitic metagabbros, amphibolites, epidosite, arc-related metasediments (schists and quartzites), metagabbro-tonalite complex, dunite, olivine gabbros, and granitic rocks encountered in the study district. Additionally, various hydrothermal alteration zones have been primarily outlined using ASTER and Sentinel 2 data by implementing informative band ratios and constrained energy minimization techniques. The mineralogical studies have confirmed most of the remotely-detected hydrothermal alteration minerals. Ore microscopy, XRD technique, and EDX microchemical analysis of representative mineralized samples of the study district identified magnetite, ilmenite, titanomagnetite, chromite, magnesioferrite, quartz, apatite, clinochlore, plagioclase, pyroxene and epidote. Cross-linking remote sensing results, field observations and laboratory studies revealed that the dominant hydrothermal alteration processes include oxidization, serpentinization, carbonatization, epidotization, silicification, zoisitization, muscovitization, sericitization, and chloritization. Spatial overlay analysis of the resultant altered features, structural dissection, field observations, and analytical studies were integrated to build a mineral potentiality map of the study district.