Mineralogy Mapper Research Articles

Geological content on maps and in accompanying texts developed until the end of the 18th century

Abstract For many centuries on general geographical maps and early maritime maps geological information was rarely included. The map of the Wadi Hammamat valley, the Borgia world map, the Catalan world map and Carta de nauigar per le Isole nouamente... portolan chart were indicated as examples. Places where minerals occurred were presented mainly using textual descriptions. Among Renaissance maps and later maps published before the second half of the 18th century, the map of the Kingdom of Bavaria by Philipp Apian and the map of the Duchy of Świdnica in Silesia by Johann Wieland and Matthaus Schubart were discussed as examples. Distribution of raw materials and places of their extraction were shown using simple geometric signs with graphic characteristics for a given period. Mineralogical maps published in the second half of the 18th century were described based on the example of maps by Jean-Étienne Guettard and Johann Jirasek. Their content was compared with the texts accompanying them, developed under patronage of the contemporary scientific institutions and relevant methods of geological information presentation were described. From the late Renaissance symbols signifying extraction sites of raw materials had simplified and rather random shapes which indicates ‘unhurried’ development of cartographic methods on geological maps.

Wide area lithologic mapping with ASTER thermal infrared data: Case studies for the regions in/around the Pamir Mountains and the Tarim basin

After the authors have proposed the mineralogical indices, e.g., Quartz Index (QI), Carbonate Index (CI), Mafic Index (MI) for ASTER thermal infrared (TIR) data, many articles have been applied the indices for the geological case studies and proved to be robust in extracting geological information at the local scale. The authors also have developed a system for producing the regional map with the indices, which needs mosaicking of many scenes considering the relatively narrow spatial coverage of each ASTER scene. The system executes the procedures very efficiently to find ASTER data covering a wide target area in the vast and expanding ASTER data archive. Then the searched ASTER data are conditioned, prioritized, and the indices are calculated before finally mosaicking the imagery. Here in this paper, we will present two case studies of the regional lithologic and mineralogic mapping of the indices covering very wide regions in and around the Pamir Mountains and the Tarim basin. The characteristic features of the indices related to geology are analysed, interpreted and discussed.

Field level digital mapping of soil mineralogy using proximal and remote‐sensed data

AbstractPrimary (e.g., quartz) and secondary (clay) minerals are key factors determining the physical and chemical characteristics of soil. Understanding spatial distribution of minerals at the field scale would, therefore, be of potential benefit for soil management. However, current analysis requires time‐consuming laboratory procedures and computational quantification analysis (e.g., SIROQUANT). Furthermore, mineral composition (e.g., quartz, kaolinite, illite and expandable clay minerals) must sum to 100. We aimed to add value to laboratory data by developing multiple linear regression (MLR) relationships between mineralogy and ancillary data such as digital numbers (DNs) (i.e., Red [R], Green [G] and Blue [B]) acquired from remotely sensed air‐photographs and soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa – mS/m) measured from proximal sensing electromagnetic (EM) instruments (i.e., EM38 and EM31). To account for composition, we compare results from the MLR approach with those from additive log‐ratio (ALR) transformation of mineralogy prior to MLR modelling. This approach together with various ancillary data and trend surface parameters (i.e., scaled Easting and Northing) has greater precision and less bias of prediction than the MLR approach using untransformed data. Our approach also enables predictions to sum to 100. We conclude that the most useful ancillary data to predict the abundance of quartz, kaolinite and illite are B DNs and EM31, while expandable clays are best predicted with R DNs, EM38 and scaled Northing. The use of ancillary data to map mineralogical components combined with ALR‐MLR is an effective approach, with resulting maps providing insights into soil and water management issues consistent with farmer experience.

Imaging of Jurassic fossils from the Talbragar Fish Bed using fluorescence, photoluminescence, and elemental and mineralogical mapping.

The Talbragar Fish Bed is one of Australia’s most important Jurassic deposits for freshwater fishes, land plants and aquatic and terrestrial insects. The site has yielded many well preserved fossils, which has led to the formal description of numerous new species and higher taxa. The excellent preservation of many fossils has allowed detailed anatomical studies, e.g. of the early teleost fish Cavenderichthys talbragarensis (Woodward, 1895). Here we report on the fluorescent characteristics and mineral composition of a range of Talbragar fossils. Most specimens fluoresce under ultraviolet, blue and green light. Elemental and mineralogical analyses revealed that the Talbragar fossils consist predominantly of quartz (SiO2), a mineral that is likely to account for the observed fluorescence, with trace kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) in some of the fish fossils. Rock matrices are predominantly composed of quartz and goethite (FeO(OH)). Closer inspection of a plant leaf (Pentoxylon australicum White, 1981) establishes fluorescence as a useful tool for the visualisation of anatomical details that are difficult to see under normal light conditions.

A composite mineralogical map of Ganges Chasma and surroundings, Valles Marineris, Mars

Ganges Chasma is a mineralogically diverse canyon in the far-eastern portion of the Valles Marineris system. It exposes bedrock outcrops of olivine, large dune fields enriched in olivine, a central Interior Layered Deposit with monohydrated sulfates, and Fe/Mg-phyllosilicates on the plateaus surrounding the canyon and in the canyon walls. The co-existence of hydrated minerals with unaltered olivine makes this an excellent location to study the timing of aqueous processes in this region. Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) and the High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), synthesizing them with previous data sets to produce a composite mineralogical map of Ganges Chasma. We then produce a timeline of mineralogic deposition for the Ganges area, relating it to regional geologic events.

Mineralogical characterisation to improve understanding of oral bioaccessibility of Cr and Ni in basaltic soils in Northern Ireland

Underlying bedrock is often the source of elevated levels of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (including Ni and Cr) in soils, which can be at concentrations exceeding regulatory guidelines for the protection of human health. However geogenic contaminants are often not significantly bioavailable to humans as they are bound tightly within the soil matrix. Therefore oral bioaccessibility testing can be used to refine human health risk assessment by quantifying bioaccessible PTEs in soils, but should be augmented with soil mineralogy data to support its use in risk assessment. Elemental mapping using Electro Probe Microanalysis (EPMA) and mineralogical mapping using QEMSCAN®, an automated mineral/phase analysis system based on a scanning electron microscope, were combined with quantitative X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and previous oral bioaccessibility and non-specific sequential extraction (CISED) results for 3 soil samples overlying Palaeogene basalt lavas in Northern Ireland, to determine the effect of soil mineralogy on oral bioaccessibility of Ni and Cr. Results indicate that Cr concentrations are principally related to recalcitrant chrome spinel and primary iron oxides, which explains the relatively low bioaccessibility of Cr. In contrast, Ni is more widely dispersed within the soils, with a proportion of total Ni found in carbonates and weathering products, including secondary iron oxides and precursor clay minerals, leading to the higher oral bioaccessibility measurements recorded for Ni than Cr.

Retrieving the hydrous minerals on Mars by sparse unmixing and the Hapke model using MRO/CRISM data

The hydrous minerals on Mars preserve records of potential past aqueous activity. Quantitative information regarding mineralogical composition would enable a better understanding of the formation processes of these hydrous minerals, and provide unique insights into ancient habitable environments and the geological evolution of Mars. The Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) has the advantage of both a high spatial and spectral resolution, which makes it suitable for the quantitative analysis of minerals on Mars. However, few studies have attempted to quantitatively retrieve the mineralogical composition of hydrous minerals on Mars using visible-infrared (VISIR) hyperspectral data due to their distribution characteristics (relatively low concentrations, located primarily in Noachian terrain, and unclear or unknown background minerals) and limitations of the spectral unmixing algorithms. In this study, we developed a modified sparse unmixing (MSU) method, combining the Hapke model with sparse unmixing. The MSU method considers the nonlinear mixed effects of minerals and avoids the difficulty of determining the spectra and number of endmembers from the image. The proposed method was tested successfully using laboratory mixture spectra and an Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) image of the Cuprite site (Nevada, USA). Then it was applied to CRISM hyperspectral images over Gale crater. Areas of hydrous mineral distribution were first identified by spectral features of water and hydroxyl absorption. The MSU method was performed on these areas, and the abundances were retrieved. The results indicated that the hydrous minerals consisted mostly of hydrous silicates, with abundances of up to 35%, as well as hydrous sulfates, with abundances ≤10%. Several main subclasses of hydrous minerals (e.g., Fe/Mg phyllosilicate, prehnite, and kieserite) were retrieved. Among these, Fe/Mg- phyllosilicate was the most abundant, with abundances ranging up to almost 30%, followed by prehnite and kieserite, with abundances lower than 15%. Our results are consistent with related research and in situ analyses of data from the rover Curiosity; thus, our method has the potential to be widely used for quantitative mineralogical mapping at the global scale of the surface of Mars.

In situ interactions between Opalinus Clay and Low Alkali Concrete

A five-year-old interface between a Low Alkali Concrete (LAC) formulation (CEM III/B containing 66% slag and 10% nano-silica) and Opalinus Clay (OPA) from a field experiment at Mont Terri Underground Rock Laboratory in Switzerland (Jenni et al., 2014) has been studied to decipher the textural, mineralogical and chemical changes that occurred between the two reacting materials.Reactivity between LAC concrete and OPA is found to be limited to a ∼1 mm thick highly porous (ca. 75% porosity) white crust developed on the concrete side. Quantitative mineralogical mapping of the white crust using an electron microprobe and infrared spectroscopy on the cement matrix provides evidence of a Mg-rich phase accounting for approximatively 25 wt % of the matrix associated with 11 wt % of calcite, calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and other cement phases. EDX analyses and electron diffraction combined with transmission electron microscopy of the Mg-rich phase provide evidence for a tri-octahedral 2:1 phyllosilicate with mean composition:(Ca0.5±0.2) (Mg2.0±0.4, Fe0.2±0.1, Al0.5±03, □0.3±0.3) (Al0.9±0.2, Si3.1±0.2) O10 (OH)2, where □ represents vacancies in the octahedral site.Apart from this reactive contact, textural, mineralogical and chemical modifications at the contact with the LAC concrete are limited. OPA mineralogy remains largely unmodified. X-ray micro-fluorescence and EPMA mapping of major elements on the OPA side also provides evidence for a Mg-enriched 300–400 μm thick layer. The cation exchange capacity (CEC) values measured in the OPA in contact with the LAC concrete range between 153 and 175 meq kg−1 of dry OPA, close to the reference value of 170 ± 10 meq kg−1 of dry OPA (Pearson et al., 2003). Changing cation occupancies at the interface with LAC concrete are mainly marked by increased Ca, Mg and K, and decreased Na. Leaching tests performed on OPA with deionized water and at different solid to water ratios strongly suggest that Cl and SO4 have either conservative behaviour or are constrained by the solubility of a precipitated sulfate phase. The Cl and SO4 concentrations measured at 2 cm from the interface are close to concentrations of undisturbed OPA pore waters (SO4: 4.5 ± 1.5 mmol kg−1 of dry OPA; Cl: 7.5 ± 2.1 mmol kg−1of dry OPA), and increase towards the interface with the concrete. The SO4 to Cl ratio also increases towards the interface, suggesting that the increasing anion concentrations are not related to porosity variations but rather to a concentration gradient and sulfate phase precipitation near the interface.

Silicate mineralogy at the surface of Mercury

NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft has revealed geochemical diversity across Mercury’s volcanic crust. Near-infrared to ultraviolet spectra and images have provided evidence for the Fe2+-poor nature of silicate minerals, magnesium sulfide minerals in hollows and a darkening component attributed to graphite, but existing spectral data is insufficient to build a mineralogical map for the planet. Here we investigate the mineralogical variability of silicates in Mercury’s crust using crystallization experiments on magmas with compositions and under reducing conditions expected for Mercury. We find a common crystallization sequence consisting of olivine, plagioclase, pyroxenes and tridymite for all magmas tested. Depending on the cooling rate, we suggest that lavas on Mercury are either fully crystallized or made of a glassy matrix with phenocrysts. Combining the experimental results with geochemical mapping, we can identify several mineralogical provinces: the Northern Volcanic Plains and Smooth Plains, dominated by plagioclase, the High-Mg province, strongly dominated by forsterite, and the Intermediate Plains, comprised of forsterite, plagioclase and enstatite. This implies a temporal evolution of the mineralogy from the oldest lavas, dominated by mafic minerals, to the youngest lavas, dominated by plagioclase, consistent with progressive shallowing and decreasing degree of mantle melting over time. The MESSENGER spacecraft has revealed geochemical diversity across Mercury’s surface. Magma crystallization experiments suggest a crustal mineralogy consistent with a transition towards shallower and cooler mantle melting conditions.

Study of Upper Albian rudist buildups in the Edwards Formation using ground-based hyperspectral imaging and terrestrial laser scanning

Ground-based hyperspectral imaging is used for development of digital outcrop models which can facilitate detailed qualitative and quantitative sedimentological analysis and augment the study of depositional environment, diagenetic processes, and hydrocarbon reservoir characterization in areas which are physically inaccessible. For this investigation, ground-based hyperspectral imaging is combined with terrestrial laser scanning to produce mineralogical maps of Late Albian rudist buildups of the Edwards formation in the Lake Georgetown Spillway in Williamson County, Texas. The Edwards Formation consists of shallow water deposits of reef and associated interreef facies. It is an aquifer in western Texas and was investigated as a hydrocarbon play in south Texas. Hyperspectral data were registered to a geometrically accurate laser point cloud-generated mesh with sub-pixel accuracy and were used to map compositional variation by distinguishing spectral properties unique to each material. More calcitic flat-topped toucasid-rich bioherm facies were distinguished from overlying porous sucrosic dolostones, and peloid wackestones and packstones of back-reef facies. Ground truth was established by petrographic study of samples from this area. This research integrates high-resolution datasets to analyze geometrical and compositional properties of this carbonate formation at a finer scale than traditional methods have achieved and to model the geometry and composition of rudist buildups.

Automatic, exploratory mineralogical mapping of CRISM imagery using summary product signatures

Martian spectroscopic and mineralogical analysis is usually performed using Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) browse products – false color images which show the spatial distribution of absorption features at key wavelengths. This manual, time-consuming method is ill-suited for exploratory surveys of a large number of images – for such surveys an automatic methodology is needed. In this paper we propose a method for exploratory but fully automatic mineralogical mapping of CRISM images. In our approach pixels are characterized by vectors of CRISM summary product values instead of spectral functions, and mineralogical units are discovered using a clustering principle. Moreover, the rare class discovery algorithm DEMUD is used in place of a standard clustering algorithm to identify mineralogical units - enabling the identification of only scientifically interesting, possibly rare, mineralogical deposits. The method outputs a map for each site showing the spatial distribution of mineralogical units – areas characterized by similar mineralogy. It also provides, without using a spectral library, semantic labels for each unit. We envision our method as a focus-of-attention tool to facilitate fast exploratory surveys of a large number of images. An analyst needs only to examine manually regions within an image where our pipeline indicates the existence of mineral units of interest. In this paper the method for our computational pipeline is described in detail and its performance is evaluated using a sample of 20 CRISM images – the mineralogical content of which is known from manual analysis. We find that our pipeline identifies most deposits found through manual analysis as well as some additional deposits which were not targeted by those analyses. Overall, we conclude that our fully automatic mineralogical mapper works well for exploratory purposes. Thus, it adds a new, valuable functionality to existing tools for CRISM imagery analysis.

Role of smile correction in mineral detection on hyperion data

This work aims to extract the mineralogical constituents of the Lahroud Hyperion scene situated in the NW of Iran. Like the other push-broom sensors, Hyperion images suffer from spectral distortions, namely the smile effect. The corresponding spectral curvature is defined as an across-track wavelength shift from the nominal central wavelength, and alters the pixel spectra. The common “column mean adjusted in MNF space” method was employed in this work to improve the processing accuracy by minimizing the smile effect before carrying out the atmospheric and topographical corrections. The mineral distributions were mapped by applying the standardized hyperspectral processing methodology developed by analytical imaging and geophysics (AIG). The spectral unmixing of the data resulted in the identification of five indicative minerals including natrolite, opal, analcime, kaolinite, and albite; and their spectra were employed for the generation of their distribution maps. Comparison of the results of the data processing with and without smile correction indicated a better classification performance after the smile correction. Quantitative validation of the final mineralogical map was performed using the 100 k geological map and reports of the region. Therefore, the coverage of the extracted minerals were investigated regarding the location of the lithological units in ArcGIS that implies a high coincidence. The mineral distributions in the final map show a high consistency with the geological map of the studied area, and thus it could be utilized successfully to reveal the mineralization trend in the region.

The first geological map: an Italian legacy

Although the popular map by William Smith “ A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales with Part of Scotland ” is properly celebrated as the first complete geological map of an entire country, the basic principles used by the famous English canal surveyor were epistemologically founded and utilized by the Italian Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili about a century earlier. Marsili, “ uomo d’arme e scienza ” (“man of army and science”), represents a vitally important pioneer in the fields of geography, cartography, and oceanography, with farther-ranging knowledge that included, for example, the field of archaeological survey. With his geologic map of the Cesenate sulphur mines Marsili was the first geologist to make the quantum leap from simple mineralogical maps – which report the location and access of mines on a topographic background – to a proto-geological map, wherein the areas represented by corresponding lithostratigraphic units are delimited. If Smith’s map is rightly regarded as an ambitious work for the areal extent covered, Marsili’s “ Treatise on the Structure of the Earthy Globe ” (lamentably unfinished) was by far more ambitious. The 200 sheets that come down to us include about 50 pen drawings and more than 35 water-colored plates. These clearly show how the work of Marsili took radical departure from the classic systems or “ Theories of the Earth ” espoused by British contemporaries such as Burnet and Woodward: in the Italian scientist we find the first arguments on the mountain roots and the observations that, much later, led to the principle of isostasy. In the fields of stratigraphy, regional geology, oceanography, and geological mapping, Marsili anticipated scholarly thought by at least a century.

산사태 취약성 분석: ASTER 위성영상을 이용한 점토광물인자 추출 및 공간데이터베이스의 SVM 통계기법 적용

ASTER 위성영상을 이용하여 팽창성 점토광물인 일라이트 인자 추출 및 SVM 통계분석을 통해 산사태 취약성을 평가하였다. 연구지역의 산사태 발생지역은 항공사진 판독 및 현장 조사를 통해 분석하였다. GIS 기반 공간데이터베이스로는 지형도, 토양도, 임상도, ASTER 위성사진을 이용하였다. 수치지형도에서는 경사 및 경사방향, 곡률도, 계곡과의 거리, 도로와의 거리, 토양도에서는 유효토심, 토질, 토양지형, 토양 배수정도 및 토양 모재, 임상도에서는 경급, 영급 및 밀도를 위성사진에서는 일라이트 인자를 추출하였다. 산사태 발생요인 데이터베이스와 SVM 통계분석 및 가중치 계산을 통해 각 요소간의 상관관계 취약성도를 구하였다. AUC 검증 결과 일라이트 인자 적용결과는 76.46%의 예측 정확도를 보였으며 일라이트 인자 미적용 모델은 74.09%의 예측 정확도를 나타내었다. 이는 일라이트 인자가 산사태 취약성도 작성에 있어 중요한 자료로 사용될 수 있음을 나타낸다. This study evaluates landslide susceptibility using statistical analysis by SVM (support vector machine) and the illite index of clay minerals extracted from ASTER(advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer) imagery which can be use to create mineralogical mapping. Landslide locations in the study area were identified from aerial photographs and field surveys. A GIS spatial database was compiled containing topographic maps (slope, aspect, curvature, distance to stream, and distance to road), maps of soil properties (thickness, material, topography, and drainage), maps of timber properties (diameter, age, and density), and an ASTER satellite imagery (illite index). The landslide susceptibility map was constructed through factor correlation using SVM to analyze the spatial database. Comparison of area under the curve values showed that using the illite index model provided landslide susceptibility maps that were 76.46% accurate, which compared favorably with 74.09% accuracy achieved without them.

Detection of Alteration Minerals Using Hyperion Data Analysis in Lahroud

The study aims to detect alteration indicative minerals on a part of Hyperion scene in the Lahroud region using the image processing methods. However, it is rarely possible to find actually pure pixels in the mineralogical scale inside the study scenes. This implies the necessity of the identification of sub-pixel materials before classification and mineral mapping using the spectral unmixing algorithms. The Linear Mixture Model (LMM) based standardized hyperspectral processing methodology was employed for this purpose. The necessary pre-processing tasks including the atmospheric and topographic corrections and data quality assessment were also utilized to increase the classification accuracy. The mineralogical and alteration map of the study area was then extracted and evaluated quantitatively with respected to the geological setting of the study area. Despite of the presence of complex facies in the region, the possibility of the applied methodology in the alteration mapping by linear unmixing was proved on Hyperion datasets. The low signal to noise ratio of the Hyperion sensor caused some difficulties but, considering the high cost and consumed time of the field sampling and geochemical studies, the applied method is an advantageous tool for primary steps of the exploration.

Application of Gibbs sampling in efficient hyperspectral unmixing based on the mixtures of Dirichlet components

The independent component analysis has been commonly employed in hyperspectral unmixing. However, the success of this method is highly dependent on the independency of its sources assumption. Dependent component analysis (DECA) algorithm, which utilizes a Dirichlet mixture model, was developed to provide more adequate spectral unmixing of dependent sources. Estimation of the unknown model parameters using the expectation maximization algorithm in DECA resulted in some insufficiencies. DECAGibbs algorithm is introduced to improve unmixing accuracy by applying the Gibbs sampling method to the parameter estimation process of DECA, which is conducted in different manners of modeling the observations. Functionality of the DECAGibbs algorithm is examined through the artificial datasets and an AVIRIS image of Cuprite, Nevada, indicating better decomposition of mixed observations. Finally, the best performing model was employed in mineralogical mapping of the Lahroud region, northwest Iran, by a Hyperion image. The results represent the high reliability of the proposed method according to the geological studies of the area. Since the practical application of the mixture models relies upon the efficient estimation of their involved parameters, the performance of the DECA algorithm is improved by employing the Bayesian parameter estimation approaches in this research.

Spectral parameters for Dawn FC color data: Carbonaceous chondrites and aqueous alteration products as potential cerean analog materials

We identified a set of spectral parameters based on Dawn Framing Camera (FC) bandpasses, covering the wavelength range 0.4–1.0μm, for mineralogical mapping of potential chondritic material and aqueous alteration products on dwarf planet Ceres. Our parameters are inferred from laboratory spectra of well-described and clearly classified carbonaceous chondrites representative for a dark component. We additionally investigated the FC signatures of candidate bright materials including carbonates, sulfates and hydroxide (brucite), which can possibly be exposed on the cerean surface by impact craters or plume activity. Several materials mineralogically related to carbonaceous chondrites, including pure ferromagnesian phyllosilicates, and serpentinites were also investigated. We tested the potential of the derived FC parameters for distinguishing between different carbonaceous chondritic materials, and between other plausible cerean surface materials. We found that the major carbonaceous chondrite groups (CM, CO, CV, CK, and CR) are distinguishable using the FC filter ratios 0.56/0.44μm and 0.83/0.97μm. The absorption bands of Fe-bearing phyllosilicates at 0.7 and 0.9μm in terrestrial samples and CM carbonaceous chondrites can be detected by a combination of FC band parameters using the filters at 0.65, 0.75, 0.83, 0.92 and 0.97μm. This set of parameters serves as a basis to identify and distinguish different lithologies on the cerean surface by FC multispectral data.

Spectral calibration for deriving surface mineralogy of Asteroid (25143) Itokawa from Hayabusa Near-Infrared Spectrometer (NIRS) data

We present spectral calibration equations for determining mafic silicate composition of near-Earth asteroid (25143) Itokawa from visible/near-infrared (VNIR) spectra (0.85–2.1μm) measured using the Near Infrared Spectrometer (NIRS) on board the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft. Itokawa was the target of the Hayabusa sample return mission and has a surface composition similar to LL chondrites. Existing laboratory spectral calibrations (e.g., Dunn, T.L. et al. [2010]. Icarus 208, 789–797) use a spectral wavelength range that is wider (0.75–2.5μm) than that of the NIRS instrument (0.85–2.1μm), making them unfit for interpreting the Hayabusa spectral data currently archived in the Planetary Data System (PDS). We used laboratory near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra of ordinary chondrites (H, L and LL) from the study of Dunn et al. (Dunn, T.L. et al. [2010]. Icarus 208, 789–797), which we resampled to the NIRS wavelength range. Using spectral parameters extracted from these resampled spectra we established a relationship between band parameters and mafic silicate compositions (olivine and low-Ca pyroxene). We found a correlation >90% between mafic silicate compositions (fayalite and ferrosilite mol.%) estimated by our spectral method, and electron microprobe measured values from Dunn et al. (Dunn, T.L. et al. [2010]. Icarus 208, 789–797). The standard deviation between the measured and estimated values is 1.5 and 1.1mol.% for fayalite and ferrosilite, respectively. To test the validity of the new equations we blind tested them using nine laboratory spectra of L and LL chondrites with well-known compositions. We found that the absolute difference between the measured and computed values is in the range 0.1–1.6mol.%. Our study demonstrates that this new calibration is robust and can be applied to Hayabusa NIRS data despite its limited spectral range (0.85–2.1μm). We applied the equations to a subset of uncalibrated (no photometric corrections) NIRS spectra and we obtained fayalite and ferrosilite values that are consistent with Itokawa having a LL chondrite surface composition. We intend to develop a photometric model to calibrate the NIRS spectra to standard viewing geometry and apply the new equations to create a global mineralogical map of Itokawa.

Mineralogic mapping of the Av-9 Numisia quadrangle of Vesta

In this manuscript we present the mineralogic mapping of the Av-9 Numisia quadrangle of Vesta using the most up-to-date data from the NASA–Dawn mission.This quadrangle is located in Vesta’s equatorial zone (22° south to 22° north, 218° to 288° east, in Claudia coordinate system) and takes its name from the impact crater Numisia. The main feature, which dominates the quadrangle, is the Vestalia Terra plateau, a topographic high about 10km above the surrounding areas. To the south, this region fades into the Rheasilvia basin, while to the north it is bounded by the steep scarp of Postumia basin.The Visible and Infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR) onboard NASA/Dawn provided the main data source for this work, at an unprecedented level of spatial and spectral resolution. In particular we are using spectral parameters to synthesize characteristics of the whole spectra into a single value. Pyroxene-related spectral parameters allow for the detection of lower crust or mantle material (diogenites) and upper crust material (eucrites) in the study area.The combined analysis of albedo from the Framing Camera, the geologic map and the spectroscopic data offer an interesting opportunity to understand better the surface features of this region of Vesta, and their evolution.Numisia, Cornelia, Fabia, Teia and Drusilla are the main craters in the study area, rich in bright and dark material outcrops, pitted terrains and OH-rich materials.Using the spectral parameters we demonstrate that the internal composition of Vestalia Terra is mainly diogenite-rich howardite, as shown by materials excavated by Cornelia and Fabia, and the composition of the slope north of Vestalia Terra. This agrees with the strong positive Bouguer Anomaly observed in the area, indicating a higher density of these features in relation to the surrounding areas.Besides the recently published works based on gravimetric modeling and geologic interpretation, the mineralogic mapping presented herein gives an additional contribution, in order to depict a more complete geologic history of the Numisia quadrangle of Vesta.

Mineralogical and spectral analysis of Vesta’s Gegania and Lucaria quadrangles and comparative analysis of their key features

This work is aimed at developing and interpreting infrared albedo, pyroxene and OH band depths, and pyroxene band center maps of Vesta’s Gegania and Lucaria quadrangles, obtained from data provided by the Visible and InfraRed (VIR) mapper spectrometer on board NASA’s Dawn spacecraft.The Gegania and Lucaria quadrangles span latitudes from 22°S to 22°N and longitudes from 0°E to 144°E. The mineralogical and spectral maps identify two large-scale units on this area of Vesta, which extend eastwards and westward of about 60°E, respectively. The two regions are not associated to large-scale geological units, which have a latitudinal distribution rather than longitudinal, but are defined by different contents of carbonaceous chondrites (CC): the eastern region, poor in CCs, is brighter and OH-depleted, whereas the western one, rich in CCs, is darker and OH-enriched.A detailed analysis of the small-scale units in these quadrangles is also performed. Almost all the units show the typical correspondence between high albedo, deep pyroxene bands, short band centers and absence of OH and vice versa. Only a few exceptions occur, such as the ejecta from the Aelia crater, where dark and bright materials are intimately mixed.The most characteristic features of these quadrangles are the equatorial troughs and the Lucaria tholus.The equatorial troughs consist of graben, i.e. a depression limited by two conjugate faults. The graben do not present their own spectral signatures, but spectral parameters similar to their surroundings, in agreement to their structural origin. This is observed also in graben outside the Gegania and Lucaria quadrangles. However, it is possible to observe other structural features, such as tectonic grooves, characterized by a changing composition and hence an albedo variation. This result is confirmed not only by mineralogical maps of Vesta, but also by analyzing the VIRTIS-Rosetta observations of Lutetia. The albedo change is instead a typical behavior of geomorphic grooves. Finally, ridges are characterized by a bluer color and, in some cases, shorter band centers than their surroundings, suggesting that they are composed of fresher materials.We also performed a comparative analysis between the three tholi of Vesta, i.e. Lucaria (which gives the name to its quadrangle), Aricia (in the Marcia quadrangle) and Brumalia (Numisia quadrangle). Whereas Brumalia tholus is a young magmatic intrusion, the absence of diogenites, the low albedo, and the orientation of Aricia and Lucaria tholi suggest that they are older features, which are covered by dark materials and therefore experienced a different geological history than Brumalia.