Spectra of Minerals and Rocks

Interactions of the EM radiation with matter at atomic—molecular scale result in selective absorption, emission and reflection, which are best explained by the particle nature of light. The relationship between the intensity of EM radiation and wavelength is called the spectral response curve, or broadly, spectral signature Fig. 1.1). A single feature or a group of features (pattern) in the curve could (g be diagnostic in identifying the object. In the context of remote sensing, objects can be marked by the following types of spectral behaviour.