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NASA NTRS1986

Discrimination of lithologic units using geobotanical and LANDSAT TM spectral data

Thematic Mapper (TM) spectral data were correlated with lithologic units, geobotanical forest associations, and geomorphic site parameters in the Ridge and Valley Province of Pennsylvania. Both the TM and forest association data can be divided into four groups based on their lithology (sandstone or shale) and geomorphic aspect (north or south facing). In this clastic sedimentary terrane, geobotanical associations are useful indicators of lithology and these different geobotanical associations are detectable in LANDSAT TM data.

Birnie, R. W.↗

NASA NTRS1992

North Massif lithologies and chemical compositions viewed from 2-4 mm particles of soil sample 76503

We identify the lithologic and compositional components of soil 76503 based on INAA of 243 2-4-mm particles and 72 thin sections from these and associated 1-2-mm particles (76502). We present a statistical distribution of the major compositional types as the first step of a detailed comparative study of the North and South Massifs. The soil sample was collected well away from any boulder and is more representative of typical North Massif material than any single large rock or boulder sample. So far, our examination of the 76503 particles has provided a better definition of precursor igneous lithologies and their petrogenetic relationships. It has enabled us to refine the nature of mixing components for the North Massif less than 1-mm fines. It has confirmed the differences in lithologies and their proportions between materials of the North and South Massifs; e.g., the North Massif is distinguished by the absence of a 72275-type KREEP component, the abundance of a highly magnesian igneous component, and the absence of certain types of melt compositions found in the South Massif samples.

Bishop, Kaylynn M.↗

NASA NTRS1992

Lithological and textural controls on radar and diurnal thermal signatures of weathered volcanic deposits, Lunar Crater region, Nevada

Radar backscatter intensity as measured by calibrated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems is primarily controlled by three factors: local incidence angle, wavelength-scale roughness, and dielectric permittivity of surface materials. Radar observations may be of limited use for geological investigations of surface composition, unless the relationships between lithology and the above characteristics can be adequately understood. In arid terrains, such as the Southwest U.S., weathering signatures (e.g. soil development, fracturing, debris grain size and shape, and hill slope characteristics) are controlled to some extent by lithologic characteristics of the parent bedrock. These textural features of outcrops and their associated debris will affect radar backscatter to varying degrees, and the multiple-wavelength capability of the JPL Airborne SAR (AIRSAR) system allows sampling of textures at three distinct scales. Diurnal temperature excursions of geologic surfaces are controlled primarily by the thermal inertia of surface materials, which is a measure of the resistance of a material to a change in temperature. Other influences include albedo, surface slopes affecting insolation, local meteorological conditions and surface emissivity at the relevant thermal wavelengths. To first order, thermal inertia variations on arid terrain surfaces result from grain size distribution and porosity differences, at scales ranging from micrometers to tens of meters. Diurnal thermal emission observations, such as those made by the JPL Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) airborne instrument, are thus influenced by geometric surface characteristics at scales comparable to those controlling radar backscatter. A preliminary report on a project involving a combination of field, laboratory and remote sensing observations of weathered felsic-to basaltic volcanic rock units exposed in the southern part of the Lunar Crater Volcanic Field, in the Pancake Range of central Nevada is presented. Focus is on the relationship of radar backscatter cross sections at multiple wavelengths, apparent diurnal temperature excursions identified in multi-temporal TIMS images, surface geometries related to weathering style, and parent bedrock lithology.

Plaut, Jeffrey J.↗

NASA NTRS1995

Lithologic controls on AIRSAR signatures of bedrock and alluvium, at Lunar Crater, Nevada

Rivard, Benoit↗

NASA NTRS2010

A Cabonaceous Chondrite Dominated Lithology from the HED Parent; PRA 04401

The paired howardite breccias Mt. Pratt (PRA) 04401 and PRA 04402 are notable for their high proportion of carbonaceous chondrite clasts [1]. They consist predominantly of coarse (0.1-7 mm) diogenite (orthopyroxene), eucrite (plagioclase + pyroxene), and carbonaceous chondrite clasts set in a finer grained matrix of these same materials. Coarse C-chondrite clasts up to 7 mm are composed mainly of fine-grained phyllosilicates with lesser sulfides and high-mg# anhydrous magnesian silicates. Most of these clasts appear to be texturally consistent with CM2 classification [1] and some contain relict chondrules. The clasts are angular and reaction or alteration textures are not apparent in the surrounding matrix. PRA 04401 contains about 70 modal% C-chondrite clasts while PRA 04402 contains about 7%. Although many howardites are known to contain abundant C-chondrite clasts [2,3,4], PRA 04401 is, to our knowledge, the most chondrite-rich howardite lithology identified to date. Low EPMA totals from CM2-type clasts in other howardites suggest that they frequently contain 10 wt% or more water [2], a figure consistent with their mineralogy. PRA 04401, therefore, demonstrates the potential for hydrous lithologies with greater than 5 wt% water to occur locally within the nominally anhydrous HED parent body. Since the origin of this water is xenogenic, it might therefore be concentrated in portions of the asteroid surface where it would be more readily observable by remote sensing techniques. We plan to further examine C-chondrite clasts in PRA 04401/2 with the intent of establishing firm chemical classification, estimating water content, and evaluating their relationship with the host breccia. To help place them in context of the HED parent, we will also compare these breccias with other howardites to evaluate which lithologies are likely to be more prevalent on the asteroid surface.

Herrin, Jason S.↗

NASA NTRS2012

Additional Sr Isotopic Heterogeneity in Zagami Olivine-Rich Lithology

Prior isotopic analyses of Zagami have established differing initial Sr-87/Sr-86 (ISr) ratios of among Zagami lithologies, fine-grained (FG), coarse-grained (CG), and dark mottled lithologies (DML)]. The Zagami sample (KPM-NLH000057) newly allocated from the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History contained DML and the Ol-rich lithology which included more ferroan olivines (Ol-rich: Fa(sub 97- 99) vs late-stage melt pockets: Fa(sub 90-97)]). We have combined mineralogy-petrology and Rb-Sr isotopic studies on the Kanagawa Zagami sample, which will provide additional clues to the genesis of enriched shergottites and to the evolution of Martian crust and mantle

Misawa, K.↗

NASA NTRS2015

Are the Clast Lithologies Contained in Lunar Breccia 64435 Mixtures of Anorthositic Magmas

The anorthositic crust of the Moon is often used as the archtypical example of a primary planetary crust. The abundance and purity of anorthosite in the Apollo sample collection and remote sensing data are generally attributed to an early global magma ocean which produced widespread floating plagioclase cumulates (the ferroan anorthosites; FANs. Recent geochronology studies report evidence of young (less than 4.4 Ga) FAN ages, which suggest that either some may not be directly produced from the magma ocean or that the final solidification age of the magma ocean was younger than previous estimates. A greater diversity of anorthositic rocks have been identified among lunar meteorites as compared to returned lunar samples. Granted that these lithologies are often based on small clasts in lunar breccias and therefore may not represent their actual whole rock composition. Nevertheless, as suggested by the abundance of anorthositic clasts with Mg# [Mg/(Mg+Fe)] less than 0.80 and the difficulty of producing the extremely high plagioclase contents observed in Apollo samples and the remote sensing data, modification of the standard Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO) model may be in order. To ground truth mission science and to further test the LMO and other hypotheses for the formation of the lunar crust, additional coordinated petrology and geochronology studies of lunar anorthosites would be informative. Here we report new mineral chemistry and trace element geochemistry studies of thick sections of a composite of FAN-suite igneous clasts contained in the lunar breccia 64435 in order to assess the significance of this type of sample for petrogenetic studies of the Moon. This work follows recent isotopic studies of the lithologies in 64435 focusing on the same sample materials and expands on previous petrology studies who identified three lithologies in this sample and worked on thin sections.

Simon, J. I.↗

NASA NTRS2015

How Rich is Rich? Placing Constraints on the Abundance of Spinel in the Pink Spinel Anorthosite Lithology on the Moon Through Space Weathering

previously unknown lunar rock was recently recognized in the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M(sup 3)) visible to near-infrared (VNIR) reflectance spectra. The rock type is rich in Mg-Al spinel (approximately 30%) and plagioclase and contains less than 5% mafic silicate minerals (olivine and pyroxene). The identification of this pink spinel anorthosite (PSA) at the Moscoviense basin has sparked new interest in lunar spinel. Pieters et al. suggested that these PSA deposits might be an important component of the lunar crust. However, Mg-Al spinel is rare in the Apollo and meteorite sample collections (only up to a few wt%), and occurs mostly in troctolites and troctolitic cataclastites. In this study, we are conducting a series of experiments (petrologic and space weathering) to investigate whether deposits of spinel identified by remote sensing are in high concentration (e.g. 30%) or whether the concentrations of spinel in these deposits are more like lunar samples, which contain only a few wt%. To examine the possibility of an impact-melt origin for PSA, conducted 1-bar crystallization experiments on rock compositions similar to pink spinel troctolite 65785. The VNIR spectral reflectance analyses of the low-temperature experiments yield absorption features similar to those of the PSA lithology detected at Moscoviense Basin. The experimental run products at these temperatures contain approximately 5 wt% spinel, which suggests that the spinel-rich deposits detected by M(sup 3) might not be as spinel-rich as previously thought. However, the effect of space weathering on spinel is unknown and could significantly alter its spectral properties including potential weakening of its diagnostic 2-micrometers absorption feature. Thus, weathered lunar rocks could contain more spinel than a comparison with the unweathered experimental charges would suggest. In this study, we have initiated space weathering experiments on 1) pure pink spinel, 2) spinel-anorthite mixtures, and 3) the low temperature experimental run products from Gross et al. in order to evaluate the influence of space weathering on the absorption strength of spinel. The results can be used to place constraints on the spinel abundance in the PSA lithology and can be used as ground truth for further VNIR spectral analyzes of lunar lithologies.

Gross, J.↗

NASA NTRS2019

Titanium-in-Quartz Geothermometry of Impactites and Peak-Ring Lithologies from the Chicxulub Impact Crater

Since its development by Wark and Watson (2006), the Ti-in-quartz geothermometer (TitaniQ) has been continuously refined and applied to a variety of lithologies from different crustal settings. Assuming quartz crystallized and incorporated Ti under equilibrium conditions and providing TiO2 activity (alpha (sub TiO2)) is reasonably constrained, crystallization temperatures at typical crustal pressures can be calculated. In turn, when crystallization temperatures are independently constrained, Ti-in-quartz can be used as a geobarometer. Here we explore the application of this technique to impact lithologies. Quartz is ubiquitous in terrestrial impact structures in upper crustal settings and can also form as a post-impact hydrothermal mineral. Together with other geothermometers, such as Ti-in-zircon, Ti-in-quartz can potentially help constrain the temperature-pressure conditions during the formation of the pre-impact target rock at terrestrial impact structures, as well as impact-produced and hydrothermally-altered lithologies. This work presents the first systematic Ti-in-quartz study of impactites and granitoid target rocks from the approximately180-kilometer-diameter, end-Cretaceous Chicxulub crater on the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico, thereby placing new constraints on the emplacement of felsic plutons within the Maya Block in the Paleozoic, impact melt crystallization at approximately 66 Ma (million years ago), and post-impact hydrothermal overprint inside the Chicxulub crater.

Schmieder, Martin↗

NASA NTRS2020

Organic Matter in the Aguas Zarcas (CM2) Meteorite: High Abundance of Aliphatic Carbon in Metal-Rich Lithology

The Aguas Zarcas meteorite is a new CM2 chondrite which fell on 23 April 2019 (local time) in Costa Rica. Aguas Zarcas is brecciated and contains several different lithologies, e.g., metal-rich lithology and CI-like lithology. This fresh CM2 chondrite gives us good op-portunities for analyses of organic matter (OM) without terrestrial contamination and weathering, particularly some stones which were collected before rain fell over the fall site. We also aim to characterize local hetero-geneities and associations of organic and mineral phases using state-of-the-art microscopic techniques to con-strain the origin and evolutionally processes of OM during pre- and post-accretion.

Kebukawa, Y.↗

NASA NTRS2026

Hermal Evolution of Volatile-Rich Planetesimals: Implications for Lithological Diversity in Ryugu and CI Chondrites

Ryugu samples and CI chondrites record aqueous alteration processes in primitive, volatile-rich planetesimals and exhibit a wide range of lithologies defined by mineral assemblages and alteration degrees as proposed to be types I–VI in [4]. The similarity in lithological diversity and proportions between Ryugu and CIs suggests that they originated from parent bodies with comparable internal structures and thermal histories. However, the mechanism responsible for generating such lithological diversity within a single parent body remains unclear.

S Yamazaki↗

DOE OSTI2024

Manganese exposure from spring and well waters in the Shenandoah Valley: interplay of aquifer lithology, soil composition, and redox conditions

Manganese (Mn) is of particular concern in groundwater, as low-level chronic exposure to aqueous Mn concentrations in drinking water can result in a variety of health and neurodevelopmental effects. Much of the global population relies on drinking water sourced from karst aquifers. Thus, we seek to assess the relative risk of Mn contamination in karst by investigating the Shenandoah Valley, VA region, as it is underlain by both karst and non-karst aquifers and much of the population relies on water wells and spring water. Water and soil samples were collected throughout the Shenandoah Valley, to supplement pre-existing well water and spring data from the National Water Information System and the Virginia Household Water Quality Program, totaling 1815 wells and 119 springs. Soils were analyzed using X-ray fluorescence and Mn K-Edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy. Factors such as soil type, soil geochemistry, and aquifer lithology were linked with each location to determine if correlations exist with aqueous Mn concentrations. Analyzing the distribution of Mn in drinking water sources suggests that water wells and springs within karst aquifers are preferable with respect to chronic Mn exposure, with < 4.9% of wells and springs in dolostone and limestone aquifers exceeding 100 ppb Mn, while sandstone and shale aquifers have a heightened risk, with > 20% of wells exceeding 100 ppb Mn. The geochemistry of associated soils and spatial relationships to various hydrologic and geologic features indicates that water interactions with aquifer lithology and soils contribute to aqueous Mn concentrations. Relationships between aqueous Mn in spring waters and Mn in soils indicate that increasing aqueous Mn is correlated with decreasing soil Mn(IV). These results point to redox conditions exerting a dominant control on Mn in this region.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Simulated CO 2 storage efficiency factors for saline formations of various lithologies and depositional environments using new experimental relative permeability data

Saline formations are attractive geologic reservoirs for permanent carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage. Here, the U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE-NETL) has worked to develop and refine methods and tools for the calculation of CO 2 storage potential in subsurface reservoirs. DOE-NETL's CO 2 -SCREEN provides an online tool for executing these storage methods. CO 2 storage efficiency terms are input parameters in DOE-NETL's methods and equations embedded in the CO 2 -SCREEN, which assesses pore space available for CO 2 storage. In this work, a modeling workflow was initiated to refine two CO 2 storage efficiency terms - volumetric displacement (E V ) and microscopic displacement (E d ). The models are based on new experimental relative permeability data that are specific to homogenous lithology and depositional environments of key subsurface saline formations targeted for CO 2 storage. In future work, heterogenous features will be added to this initial modeling effort to update efficiency factors as described in DOE-NETL's methods and CO 2 -SCREEN tool. E V accounts for the volume utilized in the reservoir under the areal plume, while E d accounts for saturation values in the plume to assess efficiency of CO 2 storage at the pore scale. The results of this work are significant in that prior values were based on a limited geologically non-specific relative permeability data set that were collected prior to 2009. Specifically, we applied numerical simulations using TOUGH3 models to update CO 2 storage efficiency values for supercritical CO 2 injection into brine-saturated reservoirs for three lithologies (clastics, limestone, dolomite) and six depositional environments (Marginal Marine, Strand Plain, Deltaic Complex Fluvial, Aeolian, Shallow Marine, and Reef) that have a high potential for geologic CO 2 storage. Experimental relative permeability data in cores from these environments were utilized in the models with corresponding rock type/sedimentary environment. Results of this study showed that dolomite followed by limestone generated higher ranges of storage efficiency compared to clastics. The updated values provided a tighter efficiency range for clastics, lower P 10 but higher P 90 range for limestone, and higher P 10 and P 90 for dolomite. In general, tighter reservoirs with relatively low permeability and porosity were associated with higher E V and E d , showing efficient reservoir and pore utilization in these scenarios. High reservoir pressure and temperature associated with increasing depth increased the E V , and high CO 2 injection rates resulted in increases in E V and E d , while the impact of permeability anisotropy was minimal after the 30-year injection period.

03 NATURAL GAS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Slow slip source characterized by lithological and geometric heterogeneity

Slow slip events (SSEs) accommodate a significant proportion of tectonic plate motion at subduction zones, yet little is known about the faults that actually host them. The shallow depth (<2 km) of well-documented SSEs at the Hikurangi subduction zone offshore New Zealand offers a unique opportunity to link geophysical imaging of the subduction zone with direct access to incoming material that represents the megathrust fault rocks hosting slow slip. Two recent International Ocean Discovery Program Expeditions sampled this incoming material before it is entrained immediately down-dip along the shallow plate interface. Drilling results, tied to regional seismic reflection images, reveal heterogeneous lithologies with highly variable physical properties entering the SSE source region. These observations suggest that SSEs and associated slow earthquake phenomena are promoted by lithological, mechanical, and frictional heterogeneity within the fault zone, enhanced by geometric complexity associated with subduction of rough crust.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2022

Uranium Retardation Capacity of Lithologies from the Negev Desert, Israel—Rock Characterization and Sorption Experiments

A series of batch experiments were performed to assess the uranium sorption capacity of four mineralogically distinct lithologies from the Negev Desert, Israel, to evaluate the suitability of a potential site for subsurface radioactive waste disposal. The rock specimens consisted of an organic-rich phosphorite, a bituminous marl, a chalk, and a sandstone. The sorption data for each lithology were fitted using a general composite surface complexation model (GC SCM) implemented in PHREEQC. Sorption data were also fitted by a non-mechanistic Langmuir sorption isotherm, which can be used as an alternative to the GC SCM to provide a more computationally efficient method for uranium sorption. This is because all the rocks tested have high pH/alkalinity/calcium buffering capacities that restrict groundwater chemistry variations, so that the use of a GC SCM is not advantageous. The mineralogy of the rocks points to several dominant sorption phases for uranyl (UO 2 2+ ), including apatite, organic carbon, clays, and iron-bearing phases. The surface complexation parameters based on literature values for the minerals identified overestimate the uranium sorption capacities, so that for our application, an empirical approach that makes direct use of the experimental data to estimate mineral-specific sorption parameters appears to be more practical for predicting uranium sorption.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗

NASA NTRS1979

HCMM: Soil moisture in relation to geologic structure and lithology, northern California

The author has identified the following significant results. First-look qualitative geologic evaluation of day- and night-IR images discloses several en echelon linear features extending throughout the central part of the northern coast range in California, across the Mendocino triple junction and into southern Oregon. Preliminary examination of these features with respect to topographic expression, vegetation, sun angle and azimuth, and atmospheric conditions suggests that they may be related to the intracontinental plate boundary (Lake Mountain Fault zone of Herd) of the Humbolt Plate. The linear features, which cut across several climatic zones and differently vegetated regions are not confined to topographic valleys, but cross the ridges and valleys at varying angles. Lithology within the Great Valley Sequence can be detected on a few of the images; however, preliminary evaluation suggests that the thermal banding observed may be a function of sun azimuth or late-day sun angle. Soil moisture, related to lithologic composition cannot be ruled out at this time.

Rich, E. I.↗

NASA NTRS1983

Seventh Foray - Whitlockite-rich lithologies, a diopside-bearing troctolitic anorthosite, ferroan anorthosites, and KREEP

Seventeen nonmare samples, most of them pristine, are characterized, and implications of the new data are discussed. Five pristine samples are from Apollo 14, near the center of the KREEP-rich zone in the moon's western hemisphere. Three of them are alkali anorthosites rich in Ca-phosphate (whitlockite), which apparently crystallized from magmas with REE contents roughly 6 x those of high-K KREEP. The alkali anorthosites probably formed from Mg-rich magmas that assimilated large amounts of urKREEP, but some might have formed by metasomatism of ferroan anorthosite by urKREEP. The gabbronorite/norite classification scheme is not well suited to western hemisphere lithologies, probably due mainly to the overriding effects of longitude-petrochemistry correlations. A diopside-bearing Mg-rich lithology indicates that a low degree of melting was not a prerequisite for producing gabbroic (high-Ca pyroxene-rich) Mg-rich magmas, and suggests that some source regions of Mg-rich magmas were relatively Ca-rich. Several pristine KREEP fragments from Apollo 15 station 2 are texturally and compositionally much like other pristine KREEP, and thus reinforce the evidence that KREEP is highly uniform. The pristine anorthosites, on the other hand, demonstrate further that lunar anorthosites are diverse.

Warren, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS1985

An apatite-rich, ferroan, mafic lithology from lunar meteorite ALHA81005

Antarctic meteorite Allan Hills A81005 is a polymict, anorthositic regolith breccia of lunar origin. Most lithic clasts in the meteorite 81005 are similar to those from other lunar rocks. However, some, such as 'hyperferroan' anorthosites, have not been reported before the discovery of 81005. On the basis of the composition of some granulitic polymict breccia clasts, it appears possible that other new lithologies are present. In the present paper, a description is provided of an unusual, apatite-rich, ferroan, mafic lithology, and its origin is discussed. Three clasts which appeared to contain two minerals were separated as samples ,32 ,28 and ,27. It is found in a study that the clast in ,32 and ,28 is an apatite-rich ferroan anorthositic troctolite which is probably pristine. This rock is unique among lunar samples. On the basis of an evaluation of the significance of the results of the study, it is concluded that complex processes were apparently involved in the evolution of the primitive lunar crust.

Goodrich, C. A.↗