Compositional Survey of Central Peaks in the South Pole-Aitken Basin from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data

Details Compositional Survey of Central Peaks in the South Pole-Aitken Basin from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data Compositional Survey of Central Peaks in the South Pole-Aitken Basin from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p53d1545i&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P53D-1545

Mathematics

Logic

[3620] Mineralogy And Petrology / Mineral And Crystal Chemistry, [5464] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Remote Sensing, [5470] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Surface Materials And Properties, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon

Scientific paper

Orbital measurements allow the composition of planetary surfaces to be mapped globally, something not possible with returned samples. Optical instruments such as reflectance spectrometers, which are sensitive to the very uppermost surface (~1-2 mm depth), provide the highest spatial resolution of the various compositional remote sensing techniques. Major lunar rock-forming minerals exhibit diagnostic absorptions across visible to near-infrared (VNIR) wavelengths, and data returned by VNIR reflectance spectrometers can use these absorptions to map lunar mineralogy. However, on the Moon, much of the surface is dominated by mature lunar soils formed by the continual bombardment of the lunar surface over geologic time. This weathering process effectively weakens diagnostic mineral absorption features, complicating mineralogical analyses. Focused analyses of central peaks eliminate two of the drawbacks of remote VNIR reflectance spectroscopy. The steep slopes of central peaks inhibit the development of a thick regolith layer, meaning that central peaks are relatively optically immature and thus preserve the diagnostic spectral absorption features critical to compositional analyses. Furthermore, the crater formation process excavates materials from depth [e.g., Melosh, 1989, Cintala and Grieve, 1998], exposing materials that would otherwise be inaccessible to optical remote sensing. We are in the midst of a survey of lunar crater central peaks with Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data, following the work of Tompkins and Pieters [1999], who used Clementine UVVIS multispectral data. We employ a band fitting procedure that gives estimates of the position, strength, and width of the mafic 1 μm absorption feature, which are used to evaluate the mineralogy of the central peaks. Within SPA are a number of craters of various sizes with well defined central peaks (e.g,. Bhabha, Fizeau, Finsen, Dryden) that presumably tap multiple depths across SPA, which itself excavated material from great depth. These craters offer insights into the crustal variability within SPA, variability that may reflect differences in SPA-melt sheet or crustal composition. Here, we present initial results of a pilot study on the central peaks of craters within SPA.

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