SPECTRAL DIVERSITY AND COMPOSITIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF MONTES-HAEMUS AND SERENITATIS TRANQUILLITATIS REGION ON THE MOON FROM IMAGING SPECTROSCOPY DATA/

Imaging spectroscopy data in the visible near infrared spectral range of the Serenitatis-Tranquillitatis region have been analyzed in order to identify the spectral and compositional units present in this area. The region studied includes also the Plinius and Dawes craters, MS-2 and Montes Haemus. Imaging spectroscopy technique allows a better disc rimination of spectral differences compared with that attainable with traditional multiband spectroscopy, due to a greater spectral resoluti on and data volume. On the other hand, the application of appropriate statistical procedures to this new data set, provides reliable results which call improve the current knowledge of lunar surface. We report a classification of the basaltic units present in the region, based on an automated clustering procedure. The distribution and stratificatio n of five spectrally distinct basaltic units with different TiO2 conte st and maturity has been defined. Basaltic material with different TiO 2 content is widespread on Montes Haemus, south of Menelaus. The centr al Mare Tranquillitatis basalts overlay on a feldspatic crust which ha s been exposed by the Jansen B impact. The central peak and floor of c rater Plinius show the same spectral character of the highlands, while Dawes and the surrounding small craters exhibit spectral features sim ilar to the Mare Serenitatis basalts. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. A ll rights reserved.