Petrology and Spectroscopy Studies on Danxia Geoheritage in Southeast Sichuan Area, China: Implications for Danxia Surveying and Monitoring

• DOI: 10.1007/s12371-015-0160-1
• Publication Date: 2015-10-13T00:01:26Z
• Authors: Jun-Ting Qiu; Peng-Ju Li; Zhang-Fa Yu; Ping Li
• Keywords: 01 natural sciences; 0105 earth and related environmental sciences

This paper presents the achievements of petrology and spectroscopy studies on rock samples collected from Danxia outcrops in southeast Sichuan area. The petrological study based on thin section observations was carried out using a polarizing microscope indicating that the Danxia rocks are mainly composed of quartz, plagioclase, and lithic grains, with hematite, limonite, and calcite cements. Some plagioclase and lithic grains are altered to clay minerals, while quartz grains are resistant to such alterations. The reflectance spectra of Danxia rocks were determined with an ASD spectrometer. All the measured spectra share similar characteristics that are different from those of granitic rocks and other land covers, such as vegetation, water, and soil. The spectra also have absorption features at ~840, ~2210, and ~2339 nm that are respectively related to hematite and limonite cements, altered clay minerals, and calcite cement. Application experiments suggest that remote sensing can be a useful tool for Danxia surveying and monitoring, but its capability relies on spectral and spatial resolutions.