During the Earth-Moon flyby the Galileo Solid State Imaging system obtained new information on lunar media. Imaging data in spectral bands from 0.4 to 1.0 micron wavelength provide color data for deposits on the western limb. General objectives were to determine the composition and stratigraphy of mare and related deposits for areas not previously seen well in color, and to compare the results with well-studied nearside maria. Initial results from images reduced with preliminary calibrations show that Galileo spectral reflectance data are consistent with previous earthbased observations

Belton, M.

Bolef, L.

Carr, M.

Chapman, C.

Davies, M.

Doose, L.

Fanale, F.

Gaddis, L.

Greeley, R.

Greenberg, R.

English

NASA Technical Reports Server

LUNAR MARIA AND RELATED DEPOSITS: PRELIMINARY GALILEO
IMAGING RESULTS R, Greeley 1, M. Belton 2, L. Bolef 1, M. Cart 3,
C. Chapman 4, M. Davies 5, L. Doose 6, F. Fanale 7, L. Gaddis 1, R. Greenberg 6,
J. Head 8, H. Hoffman 9, R. Jauman 9, T. Johnson 10, K. Klaasen 10, R. Koloord 6,
A. McEwen 11, S. Murchie $, G. Neukum 9, J. Oberst 9, C. Pieters 8, C. Pilcher 12,
J. Plutchak $, M. Robinson 6, R. Sullivan 1, J. Sunshine 8, J. Veverka 13 1. Ariz St U,
Tempe, AZ. 2. NOAO, Tucson, AZ. 3. USGS, Menlo Park, CA. 4. PSI, Tucson, AZ. 5. Rand, Santa Monica, CA.
6. U AZ, Tucson, AZ. 7. U Hawaii. Manoa, HI. 8. Brown U, Providence, RI. 9. DLR, Munich, Germany. 10. JPL,
Pasadena, CA. 11. USGS, Flagstaff, AZ. 12. NASA, Washington, D.C. 13. Cornell U, Ithaca, NY.
During the Earth-Moon flyby the Galileo Solid State Imaging (SSD system (1) obtained new
information on lunar maria. Imaging data in 7 spectral bands (0.4 to 1.0 I.tm wavelength) provide
color data for deposits on the western limb, including the Orientale basin (2) and part of the farside
(3). General objectives were to determine the composition and stratigraphy of mare and related
deposits for areas not previously seen well (or at all) in color, and to compare the results with well-
studied nearside maria (4). The imaging sequence began with observations of the Apollo 12 and
14 landing sites and extended west to include Oceanus Procellarum and the Humorum basin. This
sequence enabled relative calibration of Galileo data using previous earthbased multispectral
observations and spectral data obtained from Apollo samples. A later imaging sequence extended
around the western limb and provided new color data for mare deposits in the Orientale basin and
those associated with the craters Grimaldi, Pdccioli, and Schickard. The last imaging sequence
covered part of the farside and included marc deposits in the Apollo basin, light plain deposits such
as those in the Korolev basin, and dark mantle (pyroclastic?) materials.
Initial results from images reduced with preliminary calibrations show that Galileo spectral
reflectance data axe consistent with previous earthbased observations. Color visualization images
were prepared from ratios of Galileo SSI filter data (violet/0.76--*blue, 0.76/violet--*red;
0.76/IR---*green) in order to assess the relative titanium (blue is relatively high Ti, red is relatively
low Ti) and mafic content of maria. Galileo results are comparable to those derived from
eaxthbased spectra for Oceanus ProceUarum (7) and Humorum (8). The relative color of mare
units correlates with photogeologic features and the titanium content as determined from lunar
samples (5 and reviewed by 6). These areas and the general western nearside maria are highly
complex and include volcanic centers of the Riimker Hills, Marius Hills, and Aristarchus Plateau
(9-14). Mare units in these areas also have a wide range of titanium contents (15) and ages (16).
Galileo data show the compositional complexity of western nearside maria and demonstrate that
calibrated images can be used to map the color of maria on the farsid, and in limb areas not readily
seen from Earth such as regions of the western limb. For example, small deposits of Imbrian-ag,
lavas are seen on the western margin of Oceanus Procellarum. Galileo data suggest that these
deposits consist of relatively bluer flows that were erupted early in the emplacement of lavas in the
area. Also seen on the western limb are the impact structures Grimaldi, Riccioli, and Schickard.
Grimaldi is a 430 km basin centered at 5" S, 68" W and contains a 230 km ring filled with mare
deposits of Eratosthenian age. It is a major mascon mare (17, 18). Riccioli is a 146 km crater
superposed on the northwestern part of the outer ring of Grimaldi; patches of mare deposits
(undated) occur on the floor and in the northern half of Riccioli. Irregular depressions in the mare
deposits may indicate subsidence of lava lakes (19). Galileo SSI data distinguish the mare deposits
associated with Grimaldi and Riccioli.
Schickard is a 227 km basin centered at 44" S, 55" W. Unlike most lunar structures of this
size, it has no apparent ring or central peak complex. It is f'flled with light plains material and mare
deposits of Imbrian age. The light plains may represent ejecta from the Orientale basin (6).
Galileo color data for Schickard maria are consistent with previous spectral reflectance
measurements, showing an intermediate (violet/0.76) color. In addition, a strong mafic component
is seen around Schickard and extends as a large regional patch southeast toward Schiller. This area
corresponds to the zone proposed to be an older mare deposit now mantled by light plains (20,
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18 LPSC XXIi Press Abst
LUNAR MARIA AND RELATED DEPOSITS: R. Greeley et al.
28). It was suggested that dark halo craters excavated basaltic materials from beneath the light
plains and Galileo results support this model.
Mare deposits in the Orientale basin include Mare Orientale, Lacus Veris (between the Inner
and Outer Rook Mountains), and Laeus Autumni (between the Outer Rook and Cordillera
Mountains), as described by (23-25). Earthbased spectral reflectance data obtained by Spudis et
al. (26) suggest that Lacus Veils and Lacus Autumni are "contaminated" by material derived from
the local highlands. Except for this mixing, they proposed that the mare deposits are similar in
composition to nearside maria. Galileo spectral reflectance data show heterogeneities in Mare
Orientale, with the eastern region being more Ti-rieh than the western region.
Apollo is a 505 km basin containing a central ring 250 km across, centered at 36"S, 151"W.
A partial third ring has also been described (6). Patches of maria fill parts of the Apollo basin.
The superposition of Apollo on the rim of the South Polar-Aitken basin may have enhanced the
eruption of mare lavas (10). Galileo SSI data distinguish the mare deposits, but await further
calibration before assessment of composition. The general area within the South Pole-Aitken basin
shows a strong marie component. This signature earl be attributed to iron-rich material excavated
from the lower crust or upper mantle, or to the presence of a cryptomaria. The possible
cryptomare deposits in both the South Polar and Schickard basins may represent very early
volcanism on the Moon.
Dark mantle deposits are seen in the Aristarchus Plateau, southeast of Copernicus, and in the
Orientale basin. Consistent with earthbased observations (29, 30), Galileo data show the
Aristarchus deposits to be similar to Apollo 17 orange glass whereas the deposits southeast of
Copernicus are similar to the Apollo 17 black glass deposits. Dark mantle deposits on the
southwestern part of the Orientale basin form a ring about 200 km in diameter. Galileo data
suggest that these presumed pyroclastic deposits have closer affinities with the black glasses found
at the Apollo 17 site than the orange glass.
In the mid 1970s a simple two-fold model of mare basaits was developed that involved high
and low titanium lavas; it was thought that low titanium lavas erupted during early lunar volcanic
history from shallow magma chambers, and that high titanium lavas were erupted later from deeper
sources. Subsequently, it was recognized that mare lavas have a wide range of titanium content
and neither their ages nor depth of origin correlate well with titanium content. Galileo results
conf'n'm this complexity. The preliminary results presented here are given in qualitative terms
relative to earthbased observations of the Oeeanus Procellarum-Humorum region. Calibration
efforts currently underway (3, 27) should lead to quantitative spectral reflectance data obtained
from the Galileo images for extrapolation to the lunar western limb and farside.
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B.R., Bell, J.F., 1981. Proc. Lunar Planet. Sci. 12b. 665-678 21. Head, LW., 1974. The Moon 11. 327-356 22.
Moore, HJ. et al., 1974. Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 5. 71-100 23. Greeley, R., 1976. Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 7. 2747-
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Invest. Map 1-1034 26. Spudis, P.D. et al., 1984. J. Geophys. Res. 89. C197-C210 27. McEwen A. et al., 1991
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Lunar maria and related deposits: Preliminary Galileo imaging results

Lunar maria and related deposits: Preliminary Galileo imaging results

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