Overview
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is one of the mining industry’s most significant environmental challenges, occurring when iron sulfide minerals react with air and water to form sulfuric acid, often releasing toxic metals. EMIT maps surface mineral composition, helping to identify areas affected by AMD remotely. By detecting unique spectral signatures of AMD-related minerals, EMIT reduces improves our understanding of contamination impacts. These insights support efficient monitoring, risk assessment, and targeted remediation efforts to mitigate environmental impacts.
AMD is severe in the western U.S., where tens of thousands of abandoned mines require evaluation and remediation, affecting thousands of kilometers of waterways. Given the vast scale of the problem and limited remediation resources, EMIT offers a powerful approach for AMD characterization. Current efforts are focused on integrating AMD risk assessment products into the public EMIT portal and collaborating with existing mine risk assessment initiatives using data fusion. More information can be found at EMIT Mined Lands Github Repo and the EMIT Data Portal.