Spectral effects of space weathering on Mercury: The role of composition and environment

Abstract

The unique composition and space environment of Mercury provides an opportunity to test models of space weathering and can potentially provide constraints on the relative importance of physical and chemical processes involved in space weathering. In this work we apply a space weathering model to multispectral images of Mercury and incorporate the geologic context of spectra into the interpretation of the model results. We find that albedo variations on Mercury's surface cannot be explained by the addition of an opaque mineral alone. Instead, differential accumulation of space weathering products, related to composition, contributes significantly to albedo variations on Mercury's surface. Even relatively immature crater ejecta on Mercury have several times more space weathering derived iron than mature lunar soils, complicating interpretations of Mercury's surface composition. © 2012. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.