Geologic Mapping of the Lunar Quadrangle 24, Eastern South Pole- Aitken Basin; A Critical Resource For Future Exploration

Note: Original proposal submitted by Noah Petro (NASA GSFC)

This effort is creating a geologic map of the Eastern portion of the South Pole-Aitken Basin (LQ-24) on the Moon at a scale of 1:2M, following the mapping standards set by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) is the largest and oldest confirmed lunar basin and key questions remain regarding the age of the basin, its resurfacing history, and the origin of surfaces and various terrains within the basin. High-resolution image, spectroscopic, and other remote sensing data from recent lunar missions have significantly improved the ability to interpret the composition and origin of geologic units. Such data allow scientific investigations to address important questions about the formation and evolution of SPA. Our mapping effort is integrating these datasets to construct the first geologic map of eastern SPA since the 1970s, which were constructed from relatively low-resolution Lunar Orbiter images. The primary deliverable of this effort will be a Scientific Investigations Map (SIM) published through the USGS, enabling dissemination throughout the scientific community and use in future scientific analysis. This map will complement geologic maps of neighboring quads (to the west and south) that are currently in development. We will work directly with the USGS Planetary Map Coordinator (see letter in Section 6) in the preparation of this map. Specific map details are:

1) Map boundaries: -30° to -60° S. lat./180° to 240° E. long.
2) Map scale: 1:2,500,000
3) Base map(s): LROC WAC mosaic, LOLA DEM (and hillshade)
4) Map projection: Lambert Conformal Conic
5) Key supplemental data: LROC WAC DEM (and hillshade), Kaguya AM and PM data

Data from several recent lunar orbiting missions have completely changed not only what we see on the surface of the Moon, but also how we can look at the Moon. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) images and mosaics cover LQ-24 over a range of illumination angles, enabling detailed morphologic mapping. Derived (or derivable) products from several instruments (e.g., Diviner, LOLA, LROC, M3, LP-GRS) provide additional morphologic and compositional information that will be used to characterize the geologic diversity of Eastern SPA; all these data are currently available in the PDS. Once geologic units are mapped, their relative ages will be determined from measured crater densities and observed stratigraphic relationships. Noah Petro (NASA GSFC)

Dr. Mest will oversee the identification of morphologic units within LQ-24 and will coordinate the development of the geologic map in ArcGIS.