REFLECTIVE SPECTROSCOPY AND SURFACE CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MADISON LIMESTONE: PROGRESS TOWARDS IMPROVING REMOTE SENSING FOR LOST PERSONS IN SEARCH & RESCUE AND FORENSICS.

The Madison Limestone is a major stratigraphic group of Mississippian age limestone with its

distribution ranging in the Rocky Mountains and the great plains from northern Canada down

to New Mexico. It has major outcrop exposure in Montana, Wyoming, and the surrounding

area. It is primarily composed of bluish grey limestone and dolomite. The Madison

Limestone has significant geologic importance, being a reservoir rock for oil, hydrocarbons,

natural gases and forms aquifers in the region. The Madison Limestone is exposed in

complex terrains which serve as recreational use areas as well. A major issue in outdoor

environments is missing persons. This is an issue relating to hikers and the outdoor

recreation community, and crime. Lost hikers and missing people create challenging

emergencies often with limited time and spatial contexts. Hyperspectral remote

sensing/image spectroscopy (HRS/IS) is an approach that can be used to search for lost

hikers and missing persons, provided a useful spectral library is available. Detailed

reflective spectral data on the Madison Limestone substrate can greatly improve search and

rescue efforts and aid in remote sensing of people and human materials such as their

clothes or hiking gear against the Madison group outcropping in this region. Madison

Limestone samples were collected in northwestern Montana. Multiple surfaces on 10 of

these samples light reflection were measured with an Analytical Spectral Device (ASD)

spectroradiometer, and 6 most representative samples were analyzed using scanning

electron microscopy (SEM) analysis and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis.

Representative spectral data was also obtained on items such as clothing, backpacks, and

geologic field tools. Variation in Madison Limestone reflective spectra is largely explained by

variable amounts of Fe-Mn-oxide coatings. Items that may be associated with lost hikers

such as clothing and backpacks are generally spectrally distinct from the Madison

Limestone. Results from these analyses provide search and rescue teams with valuable

HRS/IS contexts and can lead to quicker, more efficient rescue practices. Data may also

improve searches for humans in multiple contexts including crime scene investigations.

Reflective spectral data was collected on 10 limestone samples from the Madison Group as well as objects such as hiking and camping supplies, safety items, clothing items, and a plastic tarp. Of the limestone samples scanned, they are mainly crystalline, with major calcite and dolomite components. Some of the scanned samples contain fossils like crinoids. Many of the surfaces are weathered and contain lichen growth. This reflective spectra was collected using an Analytical Spectral Device (ASD) FieldSpec 4 Hi-Res spectradiometer with a light producing contact probe. (Figure 1)

• Madison Limestone shows distinct spectral

signatures due Fe – Mn- oxide rock coatings.

• Characterization of spectral variation improves

accuracy of hyperspectral remote sensing in

carbonate terrains throughout the Rocky Mountains.

• Spectral data from human associated materials such

as clothing and backpacks are distinguishable from

the spectra of the Madison Limestone.

• This data can support quicker detection of people in

search and rescue or forensic investigative contexts.

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