Application of Remote Sensing and GIS for Monitoring Mine Spoil Areas: A Case Study of Kota Stone Mines

The combination of remote sensing satellite data and secondary data in a geographic information system (GIS) platform supported by Global Positioning System (GPS) data is a vital tool for land use/land cover (LU/LC) change detection and assessment of the natural resources throughout the globe. Extraction or mining plays a crucial role in the progress of numerous nations and is accompanied by an adversative impact on prevailing land cover and land uses along with environmental and societal facets. Surveillance of mining activities in distant areas poses challenges due to accessibility issues. Satellite data are very useful and competent to deliver detailed information in synoptic patterns on landscape transformation around large-scale mines. This study showcases the geographical reach, scale, and temporal characteristics of open-pit mining in Kota stone mining areas and land use/land cover (LU/LC) changes in the Ramganjmandi-Marak region of Kota district of Rajasthan, India, in the past two decades (2003–2023). Satellite data of Landsat 7 and Landsat 8 were employed for analyzing changes and generating GIS-based output maps for open-pit mining regions. Results supported by ground truth data showed significant changes in quarrying areas, agricultural land use, vegetation cover, and barren land cover. The mining and waste dumping activity in the Ramganjmandi-Morak region engulfed about 17.57 km2 area from other land use classes, on an annual basis over two decades.