Lunar Fe and Ti Abundances: Comparison of Lunar Prospector and Clementine Data

The Lunar Prospector neutron spectrometer data correlate well with iron and titanium abundances obtained through analysis of Clementine spectral reflectance data. With the iron and titanium dependence removed, the neutron spectrometer data also reveal regions with enhanced amounts of gadolinium and...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science
Main Authors: Elphic, R. C., Lawrence, D. J., Feldman, W. C., Barraclough, B. L., Maurice, S., Binder, A. B., Lucey, P. G.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 1998
Subjects:
Multidisciplinary
South pole
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.281.5382.1493
https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.281.5382.1493
Description
Summary:The Lunar Prospector neutron spectrometer data correlate well with iron and titanium abundances obtained through analysis of Clementine spectral reflectance data. With the iron and titanium dependence removed, the neutron spectrometer data also reveal regions with enhanced amounts of gadolinium and samarium, incompatible rare earth elements that are enriched in the final phases of magma crystallization. These regions are found mainly around the ramparts of the Imbrium impact basin but not around the other basins, including the much larger and deeper South Pole–Aitken basin. This result confirms the compositional uniqueness of the surface and interior of the Imbrium region.

Similar Items