Spectra of volcanic rocks glasses as analogues of Mercury surface spectra

Details Spectra of volcanic rocks glasses as analogues of Mercury surface spectra Spectra of volcanic rocks glasses as analogues of Mercury surface spectra

Dec 2010

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010agufm.p53a1507c&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2010, abstract #P53A-1507

Physics

[3934] Mineral Physics / Optical, Infrared, And Raman Spectroscopy, [5410] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Composition, [5460] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Physical Properties Of Materials, [6235] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Mercury

Scientific paper

Remote-sensing studies have revealed that most of the inner planets surfaces are composed by magmatic effusive rocks as lava flows or pyroclastic deposits, that are the natural products of magma-rock dynamic systems controlled by T, P, oxygen fugacity and time. These materials generally contain a fair amount of volcanic glass, due to the magma rapid cooling once effused on the surface. The VNIR reflectance spectroscopy is one of the most relevant tools for remote-sensing studies and in the last decades gave important results identifying the presence of different Fe-Mg silicates, such as olivine and pyroxenes, on the planets surfaces. However, the mineralogical interpretation of the observed spectral features of several volcanic areas on the inner Solar System bodies is still matter of debate. In particular the presence of dark volcanic glass, which can dominate or not the rock texture, influences the spectra signatures. In fact samples with a glass-bearing groundmass have lower albedo and reduced band intensity of the spectra of samples with comparable mineral composition and intergranular texture. As a consequence, an important goal for studying the planetary crusts is to understand the spectral behavior of volcanic material, where chemical or physical parameters are different depending on geologic context and effusive processes. We present here preliminary laboratory activity to investigate VNIR reflectance spectra of several volcanic glasses. Reflectance spectra, in the wavelength range between 0.35- 2.50 μm, are measured on powders of magmatic rocks, having different composition and textures, at fine (<60 μm in diameter) and very fine (<10 μm) grain sizes. For each rock sample a corresponding “thermal shocked-sample” is produced by heating at 1300°C and P=1 atm and a glass-sample was produced by melting at 1500°C and P=1 atm, than quenching it in air. Reflectance spectra of powders of shocked and glass-samples were acquired at the same grain size, and compared with rock-powder spectra. This laboratory activity is in support of the SIMBIO-SYS/VIHI imaging spectrometer aboard the future ESA mission to Mercury and is financially supported by an ASI grant.

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