PSI Personnel
Non PSI Personnel: Jennifer Whitten (Tulane), Bradley Jolliff (Wash U), Noah Petro (GSFC), Daniel Moriarty (GSFC), Sarah Valencia (GSFC), Sarah Valencia (GSFC)
Project Description
The South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) is a high-priority location for scientific studies and exploration. SPA does not appear to contain as much basaltic fill as large nearside lunar basins, but portions of SPA are relatively smooth, indicating basalt may lie below an obscuring surface layer of regolith in the form of cryptomare (buried mare). Although cryptomare has previously been identified within SPA, refining our understanding of the abundance, distribution, and composition of cryptomare deposits across SPA provides essential insight into the extent of mare volcanism within SPA and the lunar farside, helping to unravel the early thermal and volcanic history of the Moon. This proposal seeks to address the key overarching question of What is the extent and composition of basaltic volcanism the South Pole-Aitken Basin? The answer to this question is critically important for understanding the timing and duration of lunar volcanism and the overall extent of volcanic resurfacing within SPA.
This study will integrate multiple data sets to answer the following science questions:
(1) What are the variations in composition, morphology, and roughness between geologic units (mare, cryptomare, and nonmare) in the
SPA interior?
(2) What is the geographic extent of cryptomare within SPA?
Preliminary work in central SPA has shown that cryptomare units are somewhat rougher and less mafic than mare deposits. Results from this study will allow for distinctions between mare and cryptomare, and the general characterization of geologic units in the basin. This work has long-term implications for understanding the timing of lunar volcanism and the Moon’s differentiation and diversity of materials, which will increase our understanding of the formation and evolution of the Moon.
Three primary objectives for this work are:
(1) Analyze geologic units based on reflectance and morphology using NAC photometry, DTMs, and surface roughness from an applied
Terrain Ruggedness Index (TRI).
(1) Characterize the composition of surface units by creating M3 spectral parameter maps and by comparing NAC reflectance with
mineralogy from soil samples, Clementine-derived FeO, and WAC-derived TiO2.
(3) Map geologic units within the SPA interior and determine the extent and distribution of cryptomare. We will use the results from
objectives 1 and 2 along with Clementine band-ratio data to classify candidate regions of cryptomare.