HR: 0800h
AN: P41A-0201    [Abstracts]
TI: Characterizing Lunar Crustal Geology
AU: Kramer, G
EM: gkramer@bearfightcenter.com
AF: Bear Fight Center, P.O. Box 667 22 Fiddler's Rd, Winthrop, WA 98862, United States
AU: * Combe, J
EM: Jean-Philippe.Combe@bearfightcenter.com
AF: Bear Fight Center, P.O. Box 667 22 Fiddler's Rd, Winthrop, WA 98862, United States
AU: McCord, T
EM: tmccord@bearfightcenter.com
AF: Bear Fight Center, P.O. Box 667 22 Fiddler's Rd, Winthrop, WA 98862, United States
AB: In our initiative to return to the Moon, knowledge of regional crustal geology is necessary both for locating resources of scientific interest and for establishing a sustained human presence. Characterizing crustal geology with global remote sensing data is difficult due to the types of weathering processes experienced by an airless, geologically torpid planetary body, which tend to reduce lithologic contrast and obscure the lithology of true bedrock. Fortunately, these processes are relatively straightforward, involving parameters with largely understood, fixed rates of flux. We describe a methodology for characterizing the chemical and mineralogical compositions of discrete geologic units, interpreted from remotely sensed surface spectra. The method utilizes two established techniques: small impact ejecta viewing and extrapolation (SIEVE) (McCord et al., JGR 1981; Staid & Pieters, LPSC 29; Kramer et al., LPSC 36; Kramer et al., JGR (in review)) and spectral mixing analysis (SMA) (Adams & Gillespie, Cambridge Univ. Press 2006, and references therein). The results of this work will be invaluable for identifying regions of interest for current and future lunar missions, such as Chandrayaan-1, carrying NASA's Moon Mineralogy Mapper, and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Furthermore, the methodology can be used to explore other planetary bodies that experience similar weathering processes (e.g., Mercury, Ceres, Vesta, and Mars).
DE: 1026 Composition of the moon
DE: 5410 Composition (1060, 3672)
DE: 5464 Remote sensing
DE: 5470 Surface materials and properties
DE: 6250 Moon (1221)
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting