Predicting Promising Areas for Gold Ore Mineralization Based on the Integration of Geological and Geophysical Information and Processing the Data Set of the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 Remote Sensing Space Vehicle for the Northern End of the Eastern Slope of the Polar Urals

Abstract—For the first time, an approach to processing Earth remote sensing (ERS) data obtained by the Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 spacecraft has been applied to the northern end of the eastern slope of the Polar Urals. It consists of integrating metasomatic alteration distribution maps and lineament density schemes created based on the results of statistical processing of multispectral ERS data, as well as the Aster GDEM (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer Global Digital Elevation Model) digital elevation model. The study has been carried out to identify morphological signs and patterns and features of the deep structure to identify areas promising for gold ore mineralization. As a result of the study, two new promising areas have been outlined and additional prediction and exploration criteria for gold mineralization have been identified: (1) it has been established that areas promising for the gold ore type of mineralization should be sought along transregional fault zones that intersect favorable horizons and structures and control ore mineralization, as well as along the periphery of a large (97 by 76 km) bowl-shaped heterogeneous volcano–plutonic structure of the first order with a long history of development localized above intracrustal magmatic chambers; (2) the morphostructure must be complicated by ring and arc structures of the second rank and higher, as well as NW- and NE-trending faults with a length of more than 10 km, or weakened zones, along which intrusions of intrusive bodies paragenetically associated with mineralization are recorded; and (3) in potentially ore-bearing volcanic structures, metasomatic halos of a significant area (more than 30 km²) with increased values of iron (III) oxides (hematite), iron (II) oxides, and hydroxides (limonite), as well as (to a lesser extent) hydroxyl–(Al–OH, Mg–OH), carbonate-containing minerals, and ferrous oxides, must be manifested.