New Insights into Aristarchus Crater with LRO LAMP Far-ultraviolet Observations

Aristarchus crater is a Copernican-age impact crater well known for its high-albedo ejecta blanket and nearby flow features rich in pyroclastic materials. The Lyman Alpha Mapping Project (LAMP) is a far-ultraviolet (FUV) spectrograph (57-197 nm) on board the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). LAMP data identified Aristarchus crater as having a high Off-band (155-184 nm) to On-band (130-155 nm) albedo (Off/On) ratio, providing new insight into the mineral composition of the area. Previous LAMP observations of bright crater rays and lunar swirls show that regions of high Off/On-band ratios may indicate highly feldspathic compositions. In this study we use LAMP data to understand FUV compositional signatures at Aristarchus. We investigate four well-characterized regions of interest around Aristarchus crater, and we compare Off/On-band ratios at Aristarchus crater to laboratory-derived ratios of several endmembers such as anorthite and olivine. We further analyze LAMP FUV spectra alongside near-infrared spectra from the Moon Mineral Mapper (M-3) on board Chandrayaan-1 to characterize the mineralogy in several regions of interest. We find that LAMP Off/On-band ratios are able to distinguish between plagioclase feldspars and minerals such as quartz and mafic-dominated compositions. The LAMP Off/On-band ratios at Aristarchus are higher than previously reported ratios for plagioclase-rich regions, suggesting that the composition is unique to Aristarchus. Spectra from LAMP and M-3 both show that the central peak and high-albedo ejecta around Aristarchus contain shocked, possibly alkalic, plagioclase feldspar.

Automated summary

Using LAMP data, this study investigates four regions of interest around Aristarchus crater and compares their Off/On-band ratios to laboratory-derived ratios of different minerals. The study finds that LAMP Off/On-band ratios can distinguish between plagioclase feldspars and minerals such as quartz, and the Off/On-band ratios at Aristarchus are higher than previously reported for plagioclase-rich regions, suggesting a unique composition.