The Sierra Minera de Cartagena-La Unión, located in southeast of the Iberian Peninsula, has been significantly impacted by historical mining activities, which resulted in environmental degradation, including acid mine drainage (AMD) and heavy metal contamination. This study evaluates the potential of PRISMA hyperspectral imagery for multi-temporal mapping of AMD-related minerals in two mining-affected drainage basins: Beal and Gorguel. Key minerals indicative of AMD—iron oxides and hydroxides (hematite, jarosite, goethite), gypsum, and aluminium-bearing clays—were identified and mapped using band ratios applied to PRISMA data acquired over five dates between 2020 and 2024. Additionally, Sentinel-2 data were incorporated in the analysis due to their higher temporal resolution to complement iron oxide and hydroxide evolution from PRISMA. Results reveal distinct temporal and spatial patterns in mineral distribution, influenced by seasonal precipitation and climatic factors. Jarosite was predominant after torrential precipitation events, reflecting recent AMD deposition, while gypsum exhibited seasonal variability linked to evaporation cycles. Goethite and hematite increased in drier conditions, indicating transitions in oxidation states. Validation using X-ray diffraction (XRD), laboratory spectral curves, and a larger time-series of Sentinel-2 imagery demonstrated strong correlations, confirming PRISMA’s effectiveness for iron oxides and hydroxides and gypsum identification and monitoring. However, challenges such as noise, striping effects, and limited image availability affected the accuracy of aluminium-bearing clay mapping and limited long-term trend analysis.

Torrential rainfall regimes, among others, are the origin of accelerated soil erosion. The Spanish southeastern Mediterranean region is characterised by an arid climate regime affected by extreme erosion episodes with an important loss of sediments. Soil erosion effects are even more noticeable in areas where soil has been anthropically degraded, as in the mining district of Sierra Minera de Cartagena . The present research focuses on monitoring and mapping the changes in the sediment distribution of iron oxides and hydroxyl (OH ⁻ ) bearing minerals caused by a cold drop known in Spanish as 'DANA' in September 2019 on the Rambla del Beal . This short rambla is fed by sediments from its drainage basin and by mining residues, irrigating a wide agricultural area. When discharges overflow the rambla channel, residues spread over its floodplain and reach the ecological protected coastal lagoon Mar Menor . The objective of the study was mapping the mineral distribution of the mining materials eroded from the source areas and sedimented in Rambla del Beal during a DANA. The study was carried out using a pre‐ and a post‐DANA image from the Sentinel‐2 satellite. After masking vegetation, urban areas and water bodies, different band ratios (B4/B3, B11/B12, B8A/B6) and a Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification were applied. Sediment deposits were identified in wider areas after the DANA. Iron oxides increased their extension by 11.08% in the central area (B3/B4 with R ² of 0.84) and hydroxyl‐bearing minerals increased by 8.95% in the Rambla del Beal 's headwaters (B11/B12 with R ² of 0.71). The SAM classification (with a 0.1 rad threshold and an overall accuracy of 87.33%) allowed the differentiation and classification of two ferric iron oxides (haematite and goethite) and one iron hydrous sulphate mineral (jarosite). Additionally, band ratio images were spatially overlaid with the soil land uses map layer of the cadastre in order to plot the land uses most affected by the transported sediments during the DANA. These results highlighted agricultural land as the areas (land uses) most affected by iron oxides deposition, as oxidation processes occur more rapidly in these areas. However, grassland and scrubland were the areas with the highest content of hydroxyl‐bearing minerals, as water is accumulated in these places, which favours hydrolysis reactions. Highlights: Torrential events can relocate large volumes of contaminated sediments from former mining areas. Sentinel‐2 allows monitoring mine waste iron‐sulphate changes caused by weathering alteration. Spatial mineralogical pattern in sediments is controlled by geomorphology and flood dynamics. The proposed digital image analysis allows mapping short‐term evolution of mine waste sediments.

The service-learning (SL) approach has shown effectiveness in fulfilling both academic and community-oriented objectives. This paper focuses on a specific case study for a Cartography, Remote Sensing, and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) course for Environmental Sciences undergraduate students. The main goals for implementing SL practice were (1) to enhance students’ GIS knowledge and to develop cross-cutting skills by working with real-world problems; (2) to share with society the knowledge acquired by students and ensure that it is valued; and (3) to prompt reflection on urban waste issues among students. The activity consisted of analyzing the waste containers along the 1 km riverbanks in León (Spain) and elaborating a proposal for the location of new rubbish bins to deliver to a City Council’s environmental technician. The results showed an improvement in students’ GIS management skills to solve environmental problems compared to those from the previous 3 years and a satisfactory response from environmental professionals with delivering the results. Together, an increase in students discussing urban waste was observed during the sessions. Projects like this not only teach technical skills but also provide a deeper understanding of data collection and implementation processes in environmental issues, which are closely aligned with professional experiences, and awareness of the practical application of the knowledge acquired.

En este estudio se utilizan imágenes ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) para proporcionar información sobre la composición mineral en zonas de cultivo sin vegetación en un sector del noroeste de la cuenca del Duero. Se han aplicado distintos cocientes de bandas al conjunto de imágenes multiespectrales correspondientes a longitudes de onda del visible e infrarrojo cercano (VNIR, visible and near-infrared) y del infrarrojo de onda corta (SWIR, short-wave infrared), para realzar la presencia de óxidos de hierro y de filosilicatos principalmente. Los resultados obtenidos permiten reconocer que en las zonas caracterizadas por rocas del sustrato paleozoico, sedimentos neógenos y pliocuaternarios, los minerales con contenido en hierro están más representados. Por otra parte, en las zonas caracterizadas por sistemas de terrazas fluviales es más patente la presencia de filosilicatos alumínicos. Estos resultados añaden información a la cartografía geológica y, fundamentalmente, litológica y de prospección mineral de extensas áreas con formas del relieve suaves en donde los afloramientos son muy escasos.

Mining of sulfide-rich deposits enhances the oxidation of sulfide minerals, generating acid mine drainage (AMD) characterized by high sulphate and dissolved metal concentrations and the formation of secondary iron minerals (hematite, goethite, and jarosite). As these minerals display diagnostic features in the visible–near-infrared (VNIR) region, multispectral satellite data provide a cost-effective means of monitoring. Here, the performances of Sentinel-2 and the VNIR bands from WorldView-3 are assessed and compared for the mapping and discrimination of secondary iron minerals in Sierra Minera de Cartagena–La Unión (SE Spain). Both datasets were analyzed using a band ratio and a parabola fitting technique focused on reflectance maxima. Band ratio results were interpreted as broad spectral patterns rather than definitive mineral identifications. Mineral maps were validated by applying X-ray diffraction on 74 surface soil samples. Although both sensors were able to reproduce the main spatial patterns of iron mineral distribution, Sentinel-2 data better discriminated hematite, goethite, and jarosite, especially when using the parabola fitting approach, whereas WorldView-3 VNIR data distinguished mainly hematite from the combined goethite–jarosite group. The better performance of Sentinel-2 is attributed to its red-edge and near-infrared band configuration. These findings indicate that freely available Sentinel-2 imagery can support systematic monitoring of oxidation processes in mining environments and contribute to environmental risk assessment in degraded landscapes.

La Piedra natural presenta una variabilidad composicional que a menudo pasa desapercibida mediante las inspecciones visuales convencionales en cantera. En este trabajo se caracteriza la roca carbonatada ornamental "Emperador Castril" dicha heterogeneidad química y mineralógica mediante la integración de técnicas espectroscópicas (espectroscopia de reflectancia difusa de laboratorio e imágenes hiperespectrales). La validación se realiza con técnicas analíticas (difracción y fluorescencia de rayos X) sobre muestras comerciales y de descarte. La espectroscopia de reflectancia VNIR-SWIR puntual permitió identificar bandas diagnósticas de la dolomita (~2325 nm), presencia de arcillas y contenido de hierro. Posteriormente, las imágenes hiperespectrales permitieron conocer la distribución irregular de las distintas fases minerales aplicando el algoritmo de clasificación Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM). Todas las técnicas mostraron coherencia en revelar una composición predominantemente dolomítica, con presencia minoritaria de calcita y, en casos específicos, cuarzo y fases arcillosas, además de confirmar una variabilidad composicional ligada al mayor aporte detrítico. Se concluye que el uso de tecnologías espectroscópicas in situ puede optimizar la clasificación del material y la eficiencia de la explotación, reduciendo los residuos mineros conforme a la normativa europea.