Lunar ilmenite content as assessed by improved Chandrayaan-1 M³ data

Abstract

We map ilmenite abundance on the Moon surface using Chandrayaan-1 M³ data, exploiting the strength of the ilmenite absorption band near 1550 nm. The mapping is carried out for an area comprising the border between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Tranquillitatis. We use an improved filtration of the strip noise that is characteristic of Chandrayaan-1 M³ data. The relation between ilmenite and TiO₂ abundances determined with UV-Vis color-ratios is discussed. We compare the total titanium distributions with what is assess from the ilmenite content, finding in all cases TiO₂^total → TiO₂^ilmenite. This suggests that titanium is a component of not only ilmenite. A map of the difference between total and in-ilmenite titanium abundances is presented.