Spectral-compositional variations in the constituent minerals of mafic and ultramafic assemblages and remote sensing implications

The 0.3–2.6 m reflectance spectra of most mafic and ultramafic assemblages can best be interpreted by considering the spectra as being composed of mafic silicate spectra modified by the presence of opaques, such as ilmenite or magnetite, and plagioclase feldspar. The systematic spectral-compositional relationships for olivine, orthopyroxene, and clinopyroxene have been examined and it has been determined that absorption band wavelength positions are correlated with ferrous iron content. Binary mafic silicate mixtures are generally less well understood, but certain spectral features such as reflectance maxima and minima wavelength positions and absorption band areas can be used to quantify or at least constrain end member abundances and compositions. The addition of opaques to a mafic silicate assemblage lowers overall reflectance and band depths. This differs from the effects of increasing grain size which are to lower overall reflectance but increase band depths. Plagioclase is relatively transparent compared to mafic silicates and must be present in appreciable amounts (tens of percent) to be spectrally detectable. The reflectance spectra of most mafic and ultramafic assemblages are dominated by mafic silicate absorption features and analysis of their spectra on this basis allows constraints to be placed on properties such as end member abundances and compositions.     

Aspects of reproduction of the brown mussel Perna perna at the Iture rocky beach near Cape Coast,Ghana

Aspects of the reproductive biology of the brown mussel Perna perna at the Iture rocky beach near Cape Coast, Ghana, were studied from September 2014 to August 2015. The current study was aimed at providing information useful for managing the mussel fishery in this locality and also that would form the basis for designing appropriate culture methods for the species. Microscopic examination of fresh smears of gonadal material, as well as histological preparations of the gonad, were used to study the sexuality and breeding pattern of the species. Monthly gonadal and condition indices were also determined. Perna perna exhibited gonochoristic sexuality with a sex ratio of approximately 1:1 throughout the study period. Sexes were identifiable at shell lengths of 15.0–19.9 mm. Five stages of gonadal development were identified in both sexes. Gametogenic activity was continuous throughout the year, with two major spawning activities, from April to June and from August to December. These periods coincided with the major and minor rainy seasons, respectively, as well as the major upwelling period in August. Condition indices suggest that the mussels were in better condition for harvesting in March and August prior to the major spawning events.     

Spectral properties and geology of bright and dark material on dwarf planet Ceres

Variations and spatial distributions of bright and dark material on dwarf planet Ceres play a key role in understanding the processes that have led to its present surface composition. We define limits for “bright” and “dark” material in order to distinguish them consistently, based on the reflectance of the average surface using Dawn Framing Camera data. A systematic classification of four types of bright material is presented based on their spectral properties, composition, spatial distribution, and association with specific geomorphological features. We found obvious correlations of reflectance with spectral shape (slopes) and age; however, this is not unique throughout the bright spots. Although impact features show generally more extreme reflectance variations, several areas can only be understood in terms of inhomogeneous distribution of composition as inferred from Dawn Visible and Infrared Spectrometer data. Additional material with anomalous composition and spectral properties are rare. The identification of the composition and origin of the dark, particularly the darkest material, remains to be explored. The spectral properties and the morphology of the dark sites suggest an endogenic origin, but it is not clear whether they are more or less primitive surficial exposures or excavated subsurface but localized material. The reflectance, spectral properties, inferred composition, and geologic context collectively suggest that the bright and dark material tends to gradually change toward the average surface over time. This could be because of multiple processes, i.e., impact gardening/space weathering, and lateral mixing, including thermal and aqueous alteration, accompanied by changes in composition and physical properties such as grain size, surface temperature, and porosity (compaction).     

Hyperspectral mapping of alteration assemblages within a hydrothermal vug at the Haughton impact structure,Canada

Meteorite impacts on Earth and Mars can generate hydrothermal systems that alter the primary mineralogies of rocks and provide suitable environments for microbial colonization. We investigate a calcite–marcasite‐bearing vug at the ~23 km diameter Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Canada, using imaging spectroscopy of the outcrop in the field (0.65–1.1 μm) and samples in the laboratory (0.4–2.5 μm), point spectroscopy (0.35–2.5 μm), major element chemistry, and X‐ray diffraction analyses. The mineral assemblages mapped at the outcrop include marcasite; marcasite with minor gypsum and jarosite; fibroferrite and copiapite with minor gypsum and melanterite; gypsum, Fe³⁺ oxides, and jarosite; and calcite, gypsum, clay, microcline, and quartz. Hyperspectral mapping of alteration phases shows spatial patterns that illuminate changes in alteration conditions and formation of specific mineral phases. Marcasite formed from the postimpact hydrothermal system under reducing conditions, while subsequent weathering oxidized the marcasite at low temperatures and water/rock ratios. The acidic fluids resulting from the oxidation collected on flat‐lying portions of the outcrop, precipitating fibroferrite + copiapite. That assemblage then likely dissolved, and the changing chemistry and pH resulting from interaction with the calcite‐rich host rock formed gypsum‐bearing red coatings. These results have implications for understanding water–rock interactions and habitabilities at this site and on Mars.     

The OSIRIS‐REx target asteroid (101955) Bennu: Constraints on its physical,geological, and dynamical nature from astronomical observations

We review the results of an extensive campaign to determine the physical, geological, and dynamical properties of asteroid (101955) Bennu. This investigation provides information on the orbit, shape, mass, rotation state, radar response, photometric, spectroscopic, thermal, regolith, and environmental properties of Bennu. We combine these data with cosmochemical and dynamical models to develop a hypothetical timeline for Bennu's formation and evolution. We infer that Bennu is an ancient object that has witnessed over 4.5 Gyr of solar system history. Its chemistry and mineralogy were established within the first 10 Myr of the solar system. It likely originated as a discrete asteroid in the inner Main Belt approximately 0.7–2 Gyr ago as a fragment from the catastrophic disruption of a large (approximately 100‐km), carbonaceous asteroid. It was delivered to near‐Earth space via a combination of Yarkovsky‐induced drift and interaction with giant‐planet resonances. During its journey, YORP processes and planetary close encounters modified Bennu's spin state, potentially reshaping and resurfacing the asteroid. We also review work on Bennu's future dynamical evolution and constrain its ultimate fate. It is one of the most Potentially Hazardous Asteroids with an approximately 1‐in‐2700 chance of impacting the Earth in the late 22nd century. It will most likely end its dynamical life by falling into the Sun. The highest probability for a planetary impact is with Venus, followed by the Earth. There is a chance that Bennu will be ejected from the inner solar system after a close encounter with Jupiter. OSIRIS‐REx will return samples from the surface of this intriguing asteroid in September 2023.     

Photometric,spectral phase and temperature effects on 4 Vesta and HED meteorites: Implications for the Dawn mission

Phase angle and temperature are two important parameters that affect the photometric and spectral behavior of planetary surfaces in telescopic and spacecraft data. We have derived photometric and spectral phase functions for the Asteroid 4 Vesta, the first target of the Dawn mission, using ground-based telescopes operating at visible and near-infrared wavelengths (0.4–2.5 μm). Photometric lightcurve observations of Vesta were conducted on 15 nights at a phase angle range of 3.8–25.7° using duplicates of the seven narrowband Dawn Framing Camera filters (0.4–1.0 μm). Rotationally resolved visible (0.4–0.7 μm) and near-IR spectral observations (0.7–2.5 μm) were obtained on four nights over a similar phase angle range. Our Vesta photometric observations suggest the phase slope is between 0.019 and 0.029 mag/deg. The G parameter ranges from 0.22 to 0.37 consistent with previous results (e.g., Lagerkvist, C.-I., Magnusson, P., Williams, I.P., Buontempo, M.E., Argyle, R.W., Morrison, L.V. [1992]. Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 94, 43–71; Piironen, J., Magnusson, P., Lagerkvist, C.-I., Williams, I.P., Buontempo, M.E., Morrison, L.V. [1997]. Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser. 121, 489–497; Hasegawa, S. et al. [2009]. Lunar Planet. Sci. 40. ID 1503) within the uncertainty. We found that in the phase angle range of 0° < α ? 25° for every 10° increase in phase angle Vesta’s visible slope (0.5–0.7 μm) increases 20%, Band I and Band II depths increase 2.35% and 1.5% respectively, and the BAR value increase 0.30. Phase angle spectral measurements of the eucrite Moama in the lab show a decrease in Band I and Band II depths and BAR from the lowest phase angle 13° to 30°, followed by possible small increases up to 90°, and then a dramatic drop between 90° and 120° phase angle. Temperature-induced spectral effects shift the Band I and II centers of the pyroxene bands to longer wavelengths with increasing temperature. We have derived new correction equations using a temperature series (80–400 K) of HED meteorite spectra that will enable interpretation of telescopic and spacecraft spectral data using laboratory calibrations at room temperature (300 K).     

Spectral reflectance properties of carbonaceous chondrites: 3. CR chondrites

Powdered samples of a suite of 14 CR and CR-like chondrites, ranging from petrologic grade 1 to 3, were spectrally characterized over the 0.3–2.5 μm interval as part of a larger study of carbonaceous chondrite reflectance spectra. Spectral analysis was complicated by absorption bands due to Fe oxyhydroxides near 0.9 μm, resulting from terrestrial weathering. This absorption feature masks expected absorption bands due to constituent silicates in this region. In spite of this interference, most of the CR spectra exhibit absorption bands attributable to silicates, in particular an absorption feature due to Fe²⁺-bearing phyllosilicates near 1.1 μm. Mafic silicate absorption bands are weak to nonexistent due to a number of factors, including low Fe content, low degree of silicate crystallinity in some cases, and presence of fine-grained, finely dispersed opaques. With increasing aqueous alteration, phyllosilicate: mafic silicate ratios increase, resulting in more resolvable phyllosilicate absorption bands in the 1.1 μm region. In the most phyllosilicate-rich CR chondrite, GRO 95577 (CR1), an additional possible phyllosilicate absorption band is seen at 2.38 μm. In contrast to CM spectra, CR spectra generally do not exhibit an absorption band in the 0.65–0.7 μm region, which is attributable to Fe³⁺–Fe²⁺ charge transfers, suggesting that CR phyllosilicates are not as Fe³⁺-rich as CM phyllosilicates. CR2 and CR3 spectra are uniformly red-sloped, likely due to the presence of abundant Fe–Ni metal. Absolute reflectance seems to decrease with increasing degree of aqueous alteration, perhaps due to the formation of fine-grained opaques from pre-existing metal. Overall, CR spectra are characterized by widely varying reflectance (4–21% maximum reflectance), weak silicate absorption bands in the 0.9–1.3 μm region, overall red slopes, and the lack of an Fe³⁺–Fe²⁺ charge transfer absorption band in the 0.65–0.7 μm region.     

The 506 nm absorption feature in pyroxene spectra: Nature and implications for spectroscopy-based studies of pyroxene-bearing targets

High-resolution (0.34 nm) reflectance spectra of a suite of terrestrial ortho- and clinopyroxenes were characterized in the 506-nm region. This region exhibits absorption bands attributed to spin-forbidden transitions in Fe²⁺ located in the M2, and possibly M1, crystallographic site(s). The most intense absorption bands (up to 3.8% deep in <45 μm fractions) are present in low Ca-content orthopyroxene spectra. This region exhibits two (spectral Group I) or more (spectral Group II) absorption bands in the 500-515 nm interval. Group I spectra are associated with the lowest Ca-content samples. For orthopyroxenes, the number of constituent absorption bands and band depths vary as a function of Ca content; increasing Ca content results the appearance of more than two absorption bands and a general reduction in band depths, offsetting an expected increase in band depth with increasing Fe²⁺ content; band depths may also be reduced due to the long wavelength wing of ultraviolet region Fe-O charge transfer absorptions. Band depths and shapes in this region are also a function of grain size, with the strongest bands appearing for larger grain sizes - in the 90-250 μm range. The number and position of constituent absorption bands can be used to constrain factors such as cooling rates, as expressed in the formation of Guinier-Preston zones versus coarser-grained augite exsolution lamellae. Band depths in the spectra of fine-grained (<45 μm) clinopyroxenes do not exceed 1% and are generally lowest for spectral type A clinopyroxenes, where most of the Fe²⁺ is present in the M1 crystallographic site. The appearance of the 506 nm band in the spectra of pyroxene-bearing asteroids can be used to constrain pyroxene composition and structure. The results of this study suggest that detailed analysis of absorption features in the 506 nm region is a powerful tool for determining the composition and structure of pyroxenes. The spectral resolution of the VIR-MS spectrometer aboard the Dawn spacecraft - which will examine Asteroid 4 Vesta, a body possessing surficial pyroxenes - will be sufficient to provide some constraints on pyroxene composition.     

Ceres’ spectral link to carbonaceous chondrites—Analysis of the dark background materials

Ceres’ surface has commonly been linked with carbonaceous chondrites (CCs) by ground‐based telescopic observations, because of its low albedo, flat to red‐sloped spectra in the visible and near‐infrared (VIS/NIR) wavelength region, and the absence of distinct absorption bands, though no currently known meteorites provide complete spectral matches to Ceres. Spatially resolved data of the Dawn Framing Camera (FC) reveal a generally dark surface covered with bright spots exhibiting reflectance values several times higher than Ceres’ background. In this work, we investigated FC data from High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) and Ceres eXtended Juling (CXJ) orbit (~140 m/pixel) for global spectral variations. We found that the cerean surface mainly differs by spectral slope over the whole FC wavelength region (0.4–1.0 μm). Areas exhibiting slopes ?1 constitute only ~3% of the cerean surface and mainly occur in the bright material in and around young craters, whereas slopes ≥?10% μm^?1 occur on more than 90% of the cerean surface; the latter being denoted as Ceres’ background material in this work. FC and Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) spectra of this background material were compared to the suite of CCs spectrally investigated so far regarding their VIS/NIR region and 2.7 μm absorption, as well as their reflectance at 0.653 μm. This resulted in a good match to heated CI Ivuna (heated to 200–300 °C) and a better match for CM1 meteorites, especially Moapa Valley. This possibly indicates that the alteration of CM2 to CM1 took place on Ceres.     

Asteroid 3628 Božněmcová: Covered with angrite‐like basalts?

Abstract— A detailed analysis of the reflectance spectrum of asteroid 3628 Bo?němcová, previously identified as a possible ordinary chondrite parent body, indicates that its surface consists of an assemblage dominated by clinopyroxene and plagioclase feldspar. The clinopyroxene is Fe²⁺‐bearing (likely in the range Fs_?10–20), with >90% of the Fe²⁺ being present in the M1 crystallographic site (spectral type A). The clinopyroxene:plagioclase feldspar ratio is between ?2 and 3 (?55–75% clinopyroxene, ?20–33% plagioclase feldspar). If olivine is present, the clinopyroxene:olivine ratio is >?3 (<20% olivine). The derived mineralogy of Bo?němcová is most similar, but not identical, to the known angrite meteorites. The data suggest that Bo?němcová formed by melting and differentiation of an oxidized chondritic precursor and probably represents an unsampled angrite‐like body.