Sarah K. Noble

Space Weathering on Mercury: Implications for Remote Sensing*

By applying our understanding of lunar space weathering processes, we can predict how space weathering will effect the soil properties on Mercury. In particular, the extreme temperature range on Mercury may result in latitudinal variations in the size distribution of npFe0, and therefore the spectral properties of the soil.

Martian Dunite NWA 2737: Petrographic constraints on geological history, shock events, and olivine color

Received 16 June 2006; revised 26 July 2006; accepted 1 September 2006; published 17 April 2007. [1] Meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737 is the second known chassignite, an olivine-rich igneous rock with mineral compositions and isotopic ratios that suggest it formed on Mars. NWA 2737 consists of � 85% vol. olivine (Mg#, molar Mg/(Mg + Fe), of 78.3 ± 0.4%), which is notable because it is black in hand sample and brown in thin section. Other minerals include chromite, pyroxenes (augite, pigeonite, orthopyroxene), and diaplectic glass of alkali-feldspar composition. Aqueous alteration is minimal and appears only as slight dissolution of glass. NWA 2737 formed by accumulation of olivine and chromite from a basaltic magma; the other minerals represent magma trapped among the cumulus grains. Minerals are compositionally homogeneous, consistent with chemical equilibration in late and postigneous cooling. Two-pyroxene thermometry gives equilibration temperatures � 1150C, implying a significant time spent at the basalt solidus. Olivine-spinel-pyroxene equilibria give � 825C (possibly the T of mesostasis

Using the modified Gaussian model to extract quantitative data from lunar soils

[1] The Lunar Soil Characterization Consortium (LSCC) has examined and characterized a suite of lunar soils with a wide range of compositions and maturities. The purpose of this study is to compare the Vis/NIR spectral properties of these lunar soils with their petrologic and chemical compositions using the modified Gaussian model (MGM) to obtain quantitative data about the character of relatively weak near-infrared absorption bands. Useful compositional information can be extracted from high-quality soil spectra using the MGM. The model had some difficulty fitting absorption bands in the 2 mm region of the lunar spectrum, but bands in the 1 and 1.2 mm regions provided physically realistic results. The model was able to distinguish high-Ca and low-Ca pyroxenes in the LSCC suite of lunar soils in the appropriate relative abundance. In addition, unexpected insights into the nature and causes of absorption bands in lunar soils were identified. For example, at least two distinct absorption bands are required in the 1.2 mm region of the spectrum, and neither of these bands can be attributed to plagioclase or agglutinates, but are found instead to be largely due to pyroxene.

Martian dunite NWA 2737: Integrated spectroscopic analyses of brown olivine

Received 5 October 2007; revised 13 December 2007; accepted 6 March 2008; published 18 June 2008. [1] A second Martian meteorite has been identified that is composed primarily of heavily shocked dunite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737. This meteorite has several similarities to the Chassigny dunite cumulate, but the olivine is more Mg rich and, most notably, is very dark and visually brown. Carefully coordinated analyses of NWA 2737 whole-rock and olivine separates were undertaken using visible and near-infrared reflectance,

Space weathering on airless bodies

Space weathering refers to alteration that occurs in the space environment with time. Lunar samples, and to some extent meteorites, have provided a benchmark for understanding the processes and products of space weathering. Lunar soils are derived principally from local materials but have accumulated a range of optically active opaque particles (OAOpq) that include nanophase metallic iron on/in rims formed on individual grains (imparting a red slope to visible and near-infrared reflectance) and larger iron particles (which darken across all wavelengths) such as are often found within the interior of recycled grains. Space weathering of other anhydrous silicate bodies, such as Mercury and some asteroids, produce different forms and relative abundance of OAOpq particles depending on the particular environment. If the development of OAOpq particles is minimized (such as at Vesta), contamination by exogenic material and regolith mixing become the dominant space weathering processes. Volatile-rich bodies and those composed of abundant hydrous minerals (dwarf planet Ceres, many dark asteroids, outer solar system satellites) are affected by space weathering processes differently than the silicate bodies of the inner solar system. However, the space weathering products of these bodies are currently poorly understood and the physics and chemistry of space weathering processes in different environments are areas of active research.