| 22 Jun 2026
A multi-scenario proximal hyperspectral dataset of clay-type lithium deposits from China with mineral abundances and geochemistry
Abstract. Proximal hyperspectral imaging has been widely used in material analysis, mineral mapping, and related geological studies. However, most publicly available datasets are limited to a single observation scenario and commonly lack corresponding mineralogical and geochemical constraints, which restricts quantitative analysis, cross-scenario comparison, and objective method evaluation. To meet this need, this study presents a multi-scenario proximal shortwave infrared imaging hyperspectral dataset for geological samples collected from typical clay-type lithium deposits hosted in carbonate successions in China, systematically covering four complementary observation scenarios, including powder, drill core, hand specimen, and in-situ outcrop. The data were acquired using a HySpex imaging spectrometer covering 960–2500 nm. In addition to the hyperspectral imagery, the dataset integrates mineralogical information, geochemical information, sampling annotations, reference panel spectra, geographic locations, and related metadata, thereby establishing a unified framework linking spectral observations, sample composition, and spatial context. For the controlled indoor scenarios, the dataset provides reflectance data, whereas for the field in-situ scenario it provides radiometrically corrected imagery together with reference panel spectra and example products for data use. The dataset is organized in standard and widely used formats. By covering multiple observation scenarios under the same geological setting and hyperspectral sensor system, and by providing mineralogical and geochemical reference information, it can support model development, domain-shift analysis, and studies linking proximal observations with multi-platform mineral mapping and spectral analysis. The dataset is publicly available on Zenodo at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19142250 (Zhang et al., 2026a).
1.The samples come only from Yunnan and Guizhou, within the Yangtze Block (crystalline basement overlain by Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks). This single setting cannot represent the diversity of clay-type lithium deposits across China. Please either expand the sampling coverage or narrow the study scope (e.g., to the Yangtze Block, Yunnan–Guizhou region) so the conclusions match the data.
2.The title, abstract, and introduction repeatedly emphasize a "clay-type lithium deposit," yet the geochemical analyses report only Al, K, Fe, Ca, Mg, Sr, Mn, and Ti. Li is routinely measurable by ICP-MS and its absence precludes any quantitative linkage between lithium enrichment, mineralogy, and spectral response. The authors must either measure Li (ideally together with Rb, Cs, Nb, Ta) or substantially temper the "lithium" framing throughout the manuscript.
3.Only vague descriptors such as "hundreds of powder samples" are used. A data paper must state exact numbers. Please provide a summary table giving the number of powder samples, drillholes, core segments, hand specimens, and outcrops, together with spectral file counts, spatial resolution, and total data volume.
4.All statements on usability are qualitative. Please add: (a) SNR curves for representative spectra; (b) QXRD fit residuals and mineral-abundance uncertainties; and (c) at least one minimal, reproducible mapping/unmixing example with a quantitative metric (e.g., R² between spectral estimates and QXRD abundances).
5.The manuscript requires careful language polishing before resubmission: hyphenation and terminology are inconsistent (e.g., "in-situ" vs. "in situ", "multi-scenario" vs. "multi scenario"), some phrasing is non-idiomatic (e.g., "this type of deposit is naturally suitable for imaging spectroscopy", Introduction, Line 90), and several sentences in the Abstract and Introduction are overly long. We recommend professional editing by a native English speaker.