High-resolution airborne thermal infrared (TIR) imagery
data were collected over 90.6 km2 (35
mi2) of remote and rugged terrain in
the Kettle Creek and Cooks Run Basins, tributaries of the West
Branch of the Susquehanna River in north-central Pennsylvania.
The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the
effectiveness of TIR for identifying sources of acid mine
drainage (AMD) associated with abandoned coal mines. Coal mining
from the late 1800s resulted in many AMD sources from abandoned
mines in the area. However, very little detailed mine
information was available, particularly on the source locations
of AMD sites. Potential AMD sources were extracted from airborne
TIR data employing custom image processing algorithms and GIS
data analysis. Based on field reconnaissance of 103 TIR
anomalies, 53 sites (51%) were classified as AMD. The AMD
sources had low pH (<4) and elevated concentrations of iron
and aluminum. Of the 53 sites, approximately 26 sites could be
correlated with sites previously documented as AMD. The other 27
mine discharges identified in the TIR data were previously
undocumented. This paper presents a summary of the procedures
used to process the TIR data and extract potential mine drainage
sites, methods used for field reconnaissance and verification of
TIR data, and a brief summary of water-quality data.
