New prospects for analyzing lunar pyroclastic glass

Allen, C. C.; Keller, L. P.; Bradley, J. P.; Brownlee, D. E.; Mckay, D. S.

Pyroclastic glass particles of diverse compositions are sparsely distributed in the lunar soil. Numerous suspected pyroclastic deposits have been pinpointed on the nearside. However, a dearth of pure samples large enough for spectral study, coupled with the kilometer spatial resolution of earth-based telescope spectrometry, makes it difficult to remotely analyze these deposits or tie most glasses to specific sources. Two developments should soon improve this situation. First, the technique of microscope photometry combined with microprobe analysis allows the correlation of the reflectance spectra and chemical compositions of individual glass particles. Second, the Clementine spacecraft will provide multispectral images of pyroclastic deposits at much higher spatial resolution than is currently achievable. These developments, combined with traditional laboratory and telescope studies, should allow compositions of many pyroclastic deposits and sources of many soil particles to be determined.

Document ID

19940030891

Acquisition Source

Legacy CDMS

Document Type

Conference Paper

Authors

Date Acquired

September 6, 2013

Publication Date

January 1, 1994

Publication Information

Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., The Twenty-Fifth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Part 1: A-G

Subject Category

Accession Number

94N35397

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Public

Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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