Footprints of past mining in Alaska (USA) derived from high-resolution satellite imagery
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Abstract
Mapping the land area used for mining in the past is essential for guiding the remediation of affected landscapes and assessing the resource potential of related waste products. Despite significant recent progress delineating footprints of active and inactive mining globally, the known inventory of such mine lands remains incomplete. Here, I describe a new map dataset of footprints of land surface disturbance and waste at sites of past mining in Alaska (USA) based on visual interpretation of satellite imagery. This dataset maps 6–14 times the area of previous regional and global mine footprint maps in Alaska and is the first in the region to explicitly delineate mine waste landforms (e.g., tailings piles). The data are publicly available from the U.S. Geological Survey under a “no rights reserved” Creative Commons (CC0) license agreement.
Suggested Citation
Bender, A., 2025, Footprints of past mining in Alaska (USA) derived from high-resolution satellite imagery: Scientific Data, v. 12, 699, 11 p., https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-025-05039-z.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Footprints of past mining in Alaska (USA) derived from high-resolution satellite imagery |
| Series title | Scientific Data |
| DOI | 10.1038/s41597-025-05039-z |
| Volume | 12 |
| Publication Date | April 25, 2025 |
| Year Published | 2025 |
| Language | English |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center Geology Minerals |
| Description | 699, 11 p. |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |