Date of Award
Summer 8-15-2017
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Degree Type
Dissertation
Abstract
Lunar regolith chemistry, mineralogy, various maturation factors, and grain size dominate the reflectance of the lunar surface at ultraviolet (UV) to visible (VIS) wavelengths. These regolith properties leave unique fingerprints on reflectance spectra in the form of varied spectral shapes, reflectance intensity values, and absorption bands. With the addition of returned lunar soils from the Apollo and Luna missions as ground truth, these spectral fingerprints can be used to derive maps of global lunar chemistry or mineralogy to analyze the range of basalt types on the Moon, their spatial distribution, and source regions for clues to lunar formation history and evolution.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Wide Angle Camera (WAC) is the first lunar imager to detect bands at UV wavelengths (321 and 360 nm) in addition to visible bands (415, 566, 604, 643, and 689 nm). This dissertation uses a combination of laboratory and remote sensing studies to examine the relation between TiO2 concentration and WAC UV/VIS spectral ratios and to test the effects of variations in lunar chemistry, mineralogy, and soil maturity on ultraviolet and visible wavelength reflectance. Chapter 1 presents an introduction to the dissertation that includes some background in lunar mineralogy and remote sensing. Chapter 2 covers coordinated analyses of returned lunar soils using UV-VIS spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and micro X-ray fluorescence. Chapter 3 contains comparisons of local and global remote sensing observations of the Moon using LROC WAC and Clementine UVVIS TiO2 detection algorithms and Lunar Prospector (LP) Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS)-derived FeO and TiO2 concentrations. While the data shows effects from maturity and FeO on the UV/VIS detection algorithm, a UV/VIS relationship remains a simple yet accurate method for TiO2 detection on the Moon.
Language
English (en)
Chair and Committee
Bradley L. Jolliff
Committee Members
Jill Pasteris, Robert Dymek, William B. McKinnon, Jeffrey Gillis-Davis,
Recommended Citation
Coman, Ecaterina Ioana, "Effects of Regolith Properties on UV/VIS Spectra and Implications for Lunar Remote Sensing" (2017). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1245.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/1245
Comments
Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/K7RX9BG6