Reflectance spectra and LIBS data of 16 iron-bearing surface samples from Rammelsberg – a non-ferrous metal mine in the Harz Mountains near Goslar, Germany

This data publication presents data from a solaroptical spectral investigation in the area of the Rammelsberg non-ferrous metal mine in the Harz Mountains near the city of Goslar. The investigation refers to the local communion stone quarry (“Kommunionssteinbruch”) above the former mining area. As this is a nature conservation zone, all measurements were carried out in-situ without any physical sampling action. The field measurements were carried out in June 2019 in cooperation with Bergbau Goslar GmbH and the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The data were collected within the research project ReMon (Remote Monitoring of Tailings Using Satellites and Drones, https://www.gfz-potsdam.de/en/section/remote-sensing-and-geoinformatics/projects/remon/) which aims at developing a prototypical monitoring system for mine tailings by using different sensors scaling from satellite- to drone-based.

The data were analysed in the unpublished B.Sc. thesis of Constantin Hildebrand (Hildebrand, 2019). Sixteen different surface materials were determined and examined on-site. Point and imaging hyperspectral data were acquired (with the spectroradiometer PSR+ 3500 operating in the range of 350 - 2500 nm and with the Cubert FireflEYEUHD-185 hyperspectral camera with a range of 450 - 950 nm, respectively), both data sets are presented as spectral libraries. Chemical analyses of the samples were performed by using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS). LIBS data were collected using a handheld LIBS analyzer, the SciAps Z-300.

In this data publication the different in-situ measurements are presented for each of the sixteen samples. Detailed information about the analysed material, the area of spectral sampling and geochemical analyses are explained in this report and can also be found in the additional Excel® sheet provided with the data.