Estimation of Lunar Elemental Abundances Using Clementine UVVIS+NIR Data

Many attempts have been made to derive elemental abundances of the lunar surface from multispectral images. A method to predict Fe abundance based on Clementine UVVIS data is presented in [1]. A refined method which also addresses the TiO2 abundance is provided in [2], demonstrating that in spite of issues posed by soil maturity, grain size, mineral content, topographic shading, and glass content, elemental abundances can be predicted at an accuracy of about 1 wt%. The gamma ray spectrometer on board the Lunar Prospector spacecraft (LP GRS) provided the first “direct” global measurements of lunar elemental abundances including Fe, Th (15 km surface resolution), Ti, K, Sm (60 km), Al, O, Si, Mg, Ca, and U (150 km).