The Relationship between Radar Scattering and Lunar Surface Roughness
Date
2012-05-08
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Abstract
Understanding the morphology of volcanic features on the Moon is essential to discovering their emplacement mechanisms. It is possible to use radar to distinguish different volcanic terrains on the Moon. In this work, we explore the relationship between surface roughness and the radar signatures of various lunar volcanic domes, as well as other lunar geologic features. In order to quantify this relationship, we compared radar CPR values at S- and P-band wavelengths (12.6 and 70 cm, respectively) with pulse width and RMS topographic roughness attained from LOLA data. The comparison of these different parameters describes surface roughness on a range of length scales.
Several regions on the Moon were analyzed using this technique: volcanic domes include the Marius Hills, the Gruithuisen and Mairan domes, as well as the Rümker Hills; other features analyzed include various mare lava flows, dark mantle deposits, and two young craters.
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Moon, Surface Roughness, Volcanic Domes, Dark Mantle Deposits, Mare, Young Craters, Regolith, Remote Sensing, Laser Altimetry, Radar, Marius Hills, Gruithuisen and Mairan Domes, Rümker Hills, Copernicus Crater, Tycho Crater, LOLA, Mini-RF