Monitoreo de zonas mineras en el sur del Ecuador (Provincia de El Oro)

Abstract

Abstract: Monitoring of mining areas is generally carried out on-site, requiring the mobilization of appropriate personnel and technology, generating considerable financial and time costs. This research project is presented as a methodological alternative that allows monitoring the temporal and spatial evolution of the Portovelo Zaruma mining district, using remote sensing techniques with Landsat and Sentinel 2 satellite images, 2014 orthophotographs of the area, the Google Earth Pro platform, and QGIS software. For this project, the mining tailings sites were first mapped using photointerpretation for the years 2014 and 2024 using orthophotos and Google Earth Pro, respectively. The downloaded satellite images were corrected, both radiometrically and atmospherically, and then cropped to our study area. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was then determined and reclassified using QGIS software, allowing the mining tailings sites to be distinguished from other landmasses. Finally, the reclassified NDVI was compared with the mapped mining tailings polygons, thus establishing a remote monitoring system for mining sites.