Remote sensing findings of lignite potential of Cobandere (Malatya) region

It is clear that there is economic inefficiency due to unplanned practices in the 4B group mining explorations in our country. The rapidly increasing energy costs in recent years have made lignite mining even more significant, and the introduction of new technological activities conducted digitally has transformed preliminary exploration activities into a very efficient process in terms of time and cost by using drilling exploration and modern remote sensing techniques. This has highlighted the importance of remote sensing techniques. As a result of the evaluation of field survey studies conducted by the MTA, new data has been obtained which has led to the identification of locations containing lignite. Although it seems at first glance that work was carried out in a single lithological unit, the presence of different facies can be observed in satellite image analyses and drillings. These facies changes can be associated with color, mineralogical composition, and particularly different alteration levels. Mapping of facies changes has been one of the most significant contributions to lignite exploration. Through analyses of Landsat 8 satellite images, it has been possible to verify these mappings and locations containing lignite. Morphological features of lignite-bearing regions have been determined through GIS studies. In the Alibonca Formation, where two drilling operations were conducted at the designated locations, the Çobandere member is found interbedded with lignite seams, organic-rich claystones, and limestones. Limestones and marls containing fresh water fossils can be interpreted as swamp sediments surrounding the lake. The thickness of the seams within the lignite facies varies between 3.60 cm and 0.02 cm in the drilling conducted in the Arguvan/Çobandere area, and between 1.60 cm and 0.05 cm in the drilling in the Arapgir/Suceyn area, with an average total thickness of 4 meters per well, having an average lower heating value of 1200-1500 kcal/kg for the lignite seams.