Lunar Sample Ground Truth: A Cornerstone of Remote Mineralogical and Compositional Analysis of Planetary Surfaces

Isaacson, Peter Jonas

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Year:: 2010
Contributor:: Isaacson, Peter Jonas (creator); Pieters, Carle (Director); Head, James (Reader); Hess, Paul (Reader); Wyatt, Michael (Reader); Neal, Clive (Reader); Brown University. Geological Sciences (sponsor)
Genre:: theses
Subject:: Spectroscopy; Surface Composition; Spectrum analysis; Mineralogy; Remote sensing; Geology; Moon
Extent:: xx, 338 p.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7301/Z08W3BJZ

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Abstract:: A suite of lunar materials is examined with reflectance spectroscopy. Reflectance spectroscopy is capable of collecting compositional data for planetary surfaces at high spatial resolution through absorption features diagnostic of common planetary minerals. Laboratory analysis of lunar samples is invaluable to current and future lunar remote sensing. This thesis presents laboratory reflectance spectroscopy analyses of a suite of lunar samples. This suite includes pristine mare basalts, mare basalt soils, olivine separates, and meteorites. The mare basalts were analyzed in a coordinated fashion to determine mineralogy and petrography as well as reflectance spectroscopy of the bulk samples and associated mineral separates. Focused analyses of ilmenite separates and the bulk samples from these basalts as well as mare soils are presented, with the goal of quantifying the spectral signature of ilmenite through correlations between ilmenite abundance and spectral parameters. A suite of lunar olivine separates was analyzed. Lunar olivines contain inclusions of chromite that alter the optical properties of the olivine. Absorption features in olivine reflectance spectra can be used to estimate the olivine's composition, and these chromite inclusions necessitate the modified approach presented in this thesis. This approach is applied to remotely-sensed lunar olivine-dominated reflectance spectra, which introduce complexities such as continuum slope. A method for addressing the continuum slope is presented. A suite of lunar meteorites is analyzed, which represent a random sampling of the lunar crust. Measurement of these samples adds substantial diversity to the lunar ground truth library, and will enable determination of the geologic context of these important samples through remote sensing. Finally, a lunar soil sample is subjected to heating experiments that attempt to remove the adsorbed terrestrial water that contributes to an absorption feature near 3 μm diagnostic of H2O/OH. These experiments are an important base upon which to interpret the recent discoveries of diverse forms of lunar water and represent a form of experimental lunar ground truth. Lunar sample ground truth is essential to focused studies of the Moon through remote sensing, and the importance of such studies will grow as the capabilities of remote sensing instruments continue to improve.
Notes:: Thesis (Ph.D. -- Brown University (2010)

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Rights: In Copyright
Restrictions on Use: Collection is open for research.

Citation

Isaacson, Peter Jonas, "Lunar Sample Ground Truth: A Cornerstone of Remote Mineralogical and Compositional Analysis of Planetary Surfaces" (2010). Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Theses and Dissertations. Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library. https://doi.org/10.7301/Z08W3BJZ

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Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Theses and Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations for the Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences department.
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