Fine-grained impact ejecta on the Moon: Views from Earth-based radar and the LRO Diviner thermal mapper

The goal of this work is to use Diviner thermal mapper observations to constrain the surface block populations of fine-grained impact ejecta on the Moon. The statistical distribution of rocks in impact ejecta deposits is important because it constrains the processes by which fragmentary impact debris is produced and subsequently deposited on the surface. Earth-based radar observations have revealed meters-thick haloes of material depleted in blocks 1cm and greater in diameter, surrounding nearside impact craters. Radar observations allow characterization of the bulk properties of the upper ~10m of material, but do not yield direct information about the surface rock distribution. Diviner’s four thermal infrared channels, ranging from 12.5 to 200 microns, provide the means to investigate variations in surface thermophysical properties between impact ejecta and surrounding regolith. In this paper, we will report on comparisons between Diviner thermal infrared and Earth-based radar observations for nearside craters with radar-dark, fine-grained ejecta haloes. The brightness temperature of the lunar surface as measured by Diviner is a function of albedo, emissivity, and thermal inertia, and the bulk thermal inertia of a given mixture of soil and rocks varies with rock fraction. The resulting differences in brightness temperature are most pronounced during the night, and the particular way in which the temperature varies with rock fraction depends on the soil emissivity. The spatial resolution of the Diviner measurements (320 m / pixel) is close to that of existing 70-cm wavelength radar images (at 400 m / pixel), which facilitates comparison between the two data sets. Preliminary work indicates that radar-bright, blocky ejecta close to crater rims show higher pre-dawn brightness temperatures than either more distal fine ejecta or background regolith, and the location of the transition correlates closely between the two data sets. Current work is focused on extending the comparison to distal fine ejecta haloes; we will match 1-D lunar thermal models, which balance incident solar radiation, conduction from the subsurface, and thermal emission, to measured surface brightness temperatures in order to constrain the haloes’ surface thermophysical properties. The results will provide a new dimension in our understanding of rock size distribution in ejecta deposits.