Remote sensing interpretation and metallogenic prediction in the Bairendaba-Weilasituo silver-tin polymetallic deposit, Inner Mongolia

The Bairendaba-Weilasituo area in Inner Mongolia is characterized with favorable metallogenic conditions, where the silver and tin mineral resources are enriched, mineralization alterations extensively developed and prominent geo-structures control ore deposits. By utilizing ASTER, Landsat-8 OLI, and DEM data, applying methods such as DEM hill shading, slope analysis, high-pass filtering, and directional filtering, in combination with principal component analysis and other digital image processing methods, this study finally identified a total of 329 linear structures and 4 circular structures of the Bairendaba-Weilasituo area. Additionally, ASTER data and the principal component analysis method were employed to extract alteration information related to Fe³⁺, Al-OH, Mg-OH, carbonation, silicification, and clay alteration. Based on alteration and structural data, three prospects favorable for mineral exploration were delineated. The results indicate that structural interpretation and alteration information extraction based on DEM, Landsat-8 OLI, and ASTER data can accurately identify key structural and alteration-related exploration markers. This approach is applicable in central Inner Mongolia, providing a rapid and effective method for mineral exploration and offering valuable insights for the study of silver-tin polymetallic deposits within the region.