Mineral maps of the Moon

Abstract

Global maps of the distribution of plagioclase, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and olivine on the Moon were derived from radiative transfer analysis of 400,000 Clementine UVVIS spectra. Plagioclase inversely correlates with iron while clinopyroxene positively correlates with iron showing these are the major carriers of aluminum and iron respectively. The distribution of olivine in the maria agrees with previous studies; in the highlands the abundance of olivine is low but ubiquitous at a few percent, except within the South Pole‐Aitken basin where it is only present in very small exposures. In the very anorthositic farside highlands, olivine is often the sole mafic mineral. The abundance of orthopyroxene is generally low, excepting elevated abundances in the nearside highlands and in areas near and within South Pole‐Aitken basin. Mare units with elevated abundances of orthopyroxene are found in some mare and cryptomare deposits distant from the sample return sites.