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Widespread distribution of OH/H2O on the lunar surface inferred from spectral data

Nature Geoscience volume 11, pages 173–177 (2018)Cite this article

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Abstract

Remote-sensing data from lunar orbiters have revealed spectral features consistent with the presence of OH or H2O on the lunar surface. Analyses of data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper spectrometer onboard the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft have suggested that OH/H2O is recycled on diurnal timescales and persists only at high latitudes. However, the spatial distribution and temporal variability of the OH/H2O, as well as its source, remain uncertain. Here we incorporate a physics-based thermal correction into analysis of reflectance spectra from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper and find that prominent absorption features consistent with OH/H2O can be present at all latitudes, local times and surface types examined. This suggests the widespread presence of OH/H2O on the lunar surface without significant diurnal migration. We suggest that the spectra are consistent with the production of OH in space-weathered materials by the solar wind implantation of H+ and formation of OH at crystal defect sites, as opposed to H2O sourced from the lunar interior. Regardless of the specific composition or formation mechanism, we conclude that OH/H2O can be present on the Moon under thermal conditions more wide-ranging than previously recognized.

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Fig. 1: Example spectra showing the effects of various thermal corrections on the shape and depth of the 3 μm absorption.
Fig. 2: Normalized reflectance of lunar highlands surfaces over a range of solar incidence angles (12–84°).
Fig. 3: Normalized M3 reflectance spectra of the central peak and crater floor of Bullialdus Crater and Gruithuisen Delta dome.
Fig. 4: Reiner Gamma and Mare Ingenii lunar swirl region bright and dark surface reflectance spectra.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge funding by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter program and Lunar Data Analysis Program grant NNX16AN63G. Our work benefited from discussions with the LRO Diviner science team, S. Li, and R. Milliken.

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Author notes

  1. Michael J. Poston

    Present address: Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Space Science Institute, Boulder, CO, USA

    Joshua L. Bandfield

  2. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Michael J. Poston

  3. Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Rachel L. Klima

  4. Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA

    Christopher S. Edwards

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  3. Rachel L. Klima
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  4. Christopher S. Edwards
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Contributions

J.L.B. developed the thermal correction model and led the processing and analysis of the M3 and Diviner data. M.J.P. contributed to the interpretation of spectral features and the development of formation mechanism hypotheses. R.L.K. contributed to the spectral interpretation of the M3 data and discussions of petrological sources of OH/H2O. C.S.E. contributed to the development of the thermal and roughness model and assisted with the interpretation of the spectral data sets.

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Correspondence to Joshua L. Bandfield.

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Bandfield, J.L., Poston, M.J., Klima, R.L. et al. Widespread distribution of OH/H2O on the lunar surface inferred from spectral data. Nature Geosci 11, 173–177 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-018-0065-0

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