Other
Scientific paper
Jan 1992
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1992phdt........79b&link_type=abstract
Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII, 1992.Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-06, Section: B, page: 2759.
Other
5
Imaging Spectroscopy
Scientific paper
This dissertation presents new telescopic observations of Mars using the technique of imaging spectroscopy. Data at high spectral resolution (lambda/ Deltalambda = 350) and at the best possible spatial resolution (80-150 km) were obtained from Mauna Kea Observatory during the 1988 perihelic opposition. Spectra from 0.4-0.8 μm reveal distinct absorption features and slope changes that are characteristic of Fe^{3+}-bearing minerals. Poorly crystalline materials, similar to nanophase ferric minerals or palagonite-like weathering products of basaltic glass, dominate the spectral behavior of the Martian surface in the visible to near-IR. Analysis of absorption band shapes and positions and the strong near-UV ferric absorption edge provides solid evidence for the detection of minor amounts (4-8%) of crystalline hematite (alpha -Fe_2O_3) on Mars. Different models for the formation of hematite and other ferric minerals in the current and possibly past warmer, wetter Martian climate are discussed. Images in the 0.4-1.0 μm region reveal the "classical" albedo features at red and green wavelengths (lambda > 0.5 μm) and show a spectrally bland surface dominated by polar ices and atmospheric condensates at blue wavelengths. The main results are that (1) the 2-5% deep 0.6-0.7 mu m ferric absorption band varies across the surface with bright regions typically having a deeper band; (2) many dark regions and isolated bright regions are more spectrally heterogeneous than once thought; (3) 95% of the variance in Mars spectra can be modeled using two endmembers (classical bright and dark regions), and spatially coherent units within the remaining variance correlate with condensates and dark, ferric-rich materials; (4) ferric minerals have absorption features at 0.9-1.0 mum, and weak bands observed in previous Mars spectra at these wavelengths that have been ascribed entirely to Fe ^{2+} minerals may also be consistent with variations in Fe^{3+} mineralogy. The advantages of imaging spectroscopy over other observing techniques make it an ideal tool for high spatial resolution spacecraft studies of the Martian surface.
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