Goldschmidt crater and the Moon's north polar region: Results from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)

L.C. Cheek; C.M. Pieters; J.W. Boardman; R. N. Clark; J. -P. Combe; J.W. Head; P.J. Isaacson; T. B. McCord; D. Moriarty; J.W. Nettles; N.E. Petro; J.M. Sunshine; L.A. Taylor

doi:10.1029/2010JE003702

Goldschmidt crater and the Moon's north polar region: Results from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M³)

Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets

By: L.C. Cheek, C.M. Pieters, J.W. Boardman, R. N. Clark, J. -P. Combe, J.W. Head, P.J. Isaacson, T. B. McCord, D. Moriarty, J.W. Nettles, N.E. Petro, J.M. Sunshine, and L.A. Taylor

https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JE003702

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Abstract

Soils within the impact crater Goldschmidt have been identified as spectrally distinct from the local highland material. High spatial and spectral resolution data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M³) on the Chandrayaan-1 orbiter are used to examine the character of Goldschmidt crater in detail. Spectral parameters applied to a north polar mosaic of M³ data are used to discern large-scale compositional trends at the northern high latitudes, and spectra from three widely separated regions are compared to spectra from Goldschmidt. The results highlight the compositional diversity of the lunar nearside, in particular, where feldspathic soils with a low-Ca pyroxene component are pervasive, but exclusively feldspathic regions and small areas of basaltic composition are also observed. Additionally, we find that the relative strengths of the diagnostic OH/H₂O absorption feature near 3000 nm are correlated with the mineralogy of the host material. On both global and local scales, the strongest hydrous absorptions occur on the more feldspathic surfaces. Thus, M³ data suggest that while the feldspathic soils within Goldschmidt crater are enhanced in OH/H₂O compared to the relatively mafic nearside polar highlands, their hydration signatures are similar to those observed in the feldspathic highlands on the farside.

Additional publication details
Publication type	Article
Publication Subtype	Journal Article
Title	Goldschmidt crater and the Moon's north polar region: Results from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
Series title	Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets
DOI	10.1029/2010JE003702
Volume	116
Issue	2
Year Published	2011
Language	English
Contributing office(s)	Crustal Geophysics and Geochemistry Science Center
Larger Work Type	Article
Larger Work Subtype	Journal Article
Larger Work Title	Journal of Geophysical Research E: Planets
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