TY - JOUR
T1 - Detectability of subsurface interfaces in lunar maria by the LRS/SELENE sounding radar
T2 - Influence of mineralogical composition
AU - Pommerol, A.
AU - Kofman, W.
AU - Audouard, J.
AU - Grima, C.
AU - Beck, P.
AU - Mouginot, J.
AU - Herique, A.
AU - Kumamoto, A.
AU - Kobayashi, T.
AU - Ono, Takayuki
PY - 2010/2
Y1 - 2010/2
N2 - The Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) of the SELENE mission has detected horizontal subsurface features at depths of a few hundreds of meters within all major lunar maria. We have mapped these features at global scale and found a heterogeneous geographical distribution, which correlates negatively with the maps of TiO2 and FeO obtained from UV-VIS measurements by the Clementine probe. High concentration of ilmenite (FeTiO3) in the basaltic mare lava can explain this correlation, this mineral being a strong absorber for low frequency electromagnetic waves. Thus, absence of detection of subsurface interfaces by LRS on a large portion of lunar maria does not necessarily imply that these interfaces are actually absent.
AB - The Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) of the SELENE mission has detected horizontal subsurface features at depths of a few hundreds of meters within all major lunar maria. We have mapped these features at global scale and found a heterogeneous geographical distribution, which correlates negatively with the maps of TiO2 and FeO obtained from UV-VIS measurements by the Clementine probe. High concentration of ilmenite (FeTiO3) in the basaltic mare lava can explain this correlation, this mineral being a strong absorber for low frequency electromagnetic waves. Thus, absence of detection of subsurface interfaces by LRS on a large portion of lunar maria does not necessarily imply that these interfaces are actually absent.
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U2 - 10.1029/2009GL041681
DO - 10.1029/2009GL041681
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:76349124872
VL - 37
JO - Geophysical Research Letters
JF - Geophysical Research Letters
SN - 0094-8276
IS - 3
M1 - L03201
ER -