surge in remote sensing applications in the recent years has lead to the development of highly advanced sensors that are utilized for multispectral and hyperspectral data acquisition. These data exhibit enhanced spatial and spectral resolutions. Hyperspectral systems is confirmed useful in the production of detailed lithological maps, and the principles of spectroscopy of minerals or mineral assemblages is used in the interpretation of remotely sensed imagery. Electronic and vibrational processes generate absorption features or spectral signatures of different minerals, thus different minerals and rocks can be identified from the reflectance and absorption patterns that occur on the spectral wavelength.
　　The Beishan area has more than seventy mafic-ultramafic complexes sparsely distributed in the area and is of a big importance in mineral resource exploration related to mafic-ultramafic intrusions. Many mafic-ultramafic intrusions, which are mostly in small sizes, have been omitted by geological maps. This research focuses on Huitongshan as the study area, which is a major district for mafic-ultramafic occurrences in Beishan, Gansu Province, China. The objective of this research is to explore the feasibility of using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection (ASTER) data and field data to map the lithological units especially the mafic-ultramafic igneous rocks in Huitongshan area. Rock samples collected from the study area were measured using the SR-3500 Full Range Spectrometer in-situ. Spectra were collected from the rock specimens to determine the spectral features of mafic-ultramafic units. It was confirmed that gabbro and pyroxene display characteristic reflectance and absorption features due to differences in electronic transit, charge transfer and conduction of minerals. Analysis of the spectra also indicates that the degree of weathering that the host rock is exposed to effects the intensity and the presence of characteristic absorption features.