Abstract:

Orientale Basin is one of the youngest lunar impact basins. The topography and minerals distribution of Orientale Basin will provide information on the basin forming process and lunar evolution history. As shown by data from Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), Orientale Basin is a wellpreserved multiring impact basin. We discovered various mineral types like spinel, crystalline plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine in Orientale Basin using hyperspectral data from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3).  The spectra of  mineral mixtures are deconvoluted by Modified Gaussian Model(MGM).The minerals distribution of Maunder Crater are mapped by the method of Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM). Our findings of pure crystalline plagioclase are consistent with the recent lunar missions (e.g., Kaguya) and can provide new constraint for the lunar magma ocean hypothesis. The spinel was found in the central peaks of Lowell Crater with the aid of Multiband Imager (MI) data to validate the discovery. The mineral mixture of spinel and crystalline plagioclase was also found in Maunder Crater, which suggests that spinel might have a broader distribution in the Outer Rook Ring of Orientale Basin.

Key words: Orientale Basin, spinel, crystalline plagioclase, Modified Gaussian Model, Moon Mineralogy Mapper