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and northeastern mare deposits of Lacus Veris, but medium-high (3-7 wt% TiO
2
)
basaltic signatures observed in the central and southern deposits (Kadel et al.
1993
).
The Lacus Autumni is located between Montes Cordillera and Montes Rook and
composed of several mare ponds. The largest of its three ponds covers an area of
2,060 km
2
and the smallest is
815 km
2
(Whitten et al.
2011
). Medium-high
(3-7 wt% TiO
2
) basalt signatures observed for the northern mare deposits of Lacus
Autumni, and medium-Ti (<4wt%TiO
2
) basalt signatures are present in the central
and southern Lacus Autumni mare deposits (Kadel et al.
1993
).
2.2.1
Objectives of the Study
The Mare Orientale, Lacus Veris, and Lacus Autumni of the Orientale basin basaltic
regions were selected, and the following objectives were taken for the present study:
TiO
2
estimation using Lucey's 1998 method.
To quantify the lunar surface minerals such as clinopyroxene, orthopyroxene
plagioclase and olivine using Moon Mineralogical Mapper Hyperspectral data
and RELAB spectra.
Establish the low-, medium-, and high -Ti basalt concentration map.
Comparison of observed and RELAB basaltic spectra.
Study of relation between TiO
2
content and age of the mare basalts.
When humans intend to establish lunar base, they will undoubtedly use the
local rocks, minerals, and soils for construction materials and various chemical and
metallurgical commodities (Chambers et al.
1995
). The mineralogy of Orientale
basin mare basalts is of particular interest, especially the question of how they
compare with that on the nearside (Whitten et al.
2011
). Morphological analysis
result of Orientale basin basalts has been interpreted as emplacement of mare
ponds during single eruptive events (Yingst and Head
1997
). Several researchers
have studied the Orientale basin basaltic composition, but none have been able to
establish the actual mineralogy due to spatial and spectral limits of available data
(Greeley et al.
1993
; Kadel
1993
; Staid
2000
). Previous studies have found that Mare
Orientale and associated mare ponds within the basin are highly contaminated with
local highland material and concluded that Mare Orientale, Lacus Veris, and Lacus
Autumni are probably of similar composition of lunar nearside basalts (Spudis et al.
1984
; Staid
2000
).
Yingst and Head (
1997
,
1999
) found no obvious flow fronts and no distinct
differences in mare composition in the individual ponds in Lacus Veris and Lacus
Autumni, which assumed that individual mare ponds are the results of the single
eruptive events. There is some indication of slight variation within the mare pond
composition, which could either be due to lateral and vertical mixing of feldspathic
material with mare soils or actual mineralogical differences (Kadel
1993
; Staid
2000
).
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