Abstract
EETA 79001, a shergottite meteorite, includes a pair of nonbrecciated basaltic lithologies joined along a planar igneous contact. These two lithologies, A and B, are examples of the type of basaltic contacts likely to occur on the surfaces of many planetary bodies. As such, EETA 79001 offers a unique opportunity to compare analysis techniques available in situ with those available remotely. For comparison to petrologic and geochemical studies, reflectance spectra of Lithologies A and B are obtained and analyzed with the Modified Gaussian Model (MGM). This modeling leads to the unambiguous identification of two pyroxene phases in each lithology. All spectral features, including an absorption near 1.2 μm, often attributed to plagioclase, are found to be due solely to the presence of two pyroxenes. This ambiguity between pyroxene and plagioclase absorptions suggest that caution be used in interpretation of remote spectra. Results from the MGM analysis of spectra of EETA 79001 are also used to provide estimates on the major element composition of the pyroxene phases in the two lithologies. In addition, based solely on spectral analyses, Lithology B is shown to have 11-17% more high-calcium pyroxene relative to low-calcium pyroxene than Lithology A. Each of the results derived independently with the MGM are shown to compare favorably (within 5-10%) to those obtained from more traditional geochemical and petrographic methods. The compositional inferences that were derived from modeling the spectra of EETA 79001 with the MGM are examples of the type of information available from remotely acquired spectral data. By providing a method for determining changes in relative composition and abundance of pyroxenes in neighboring units, the MGM offers an opportunity to add compositional information to geologic and morphologic data and thus greatly enhance the science return on studies of surfaces throughout the Solar System.
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