["Woehler, C","Grumpe, A","Bhatt, M","Berezhnoy, A. A","Shevchenko, V. V","Bhardwaj, A"]2019-10-02期刊论文
Using the near-infrared spectral reflectance data of the Chandrayaan-1 Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M-3) instrument, we report an unusually bright structure of 30 x 60 km(2) on the lunar equatorial farside near crater Dufay. At this location, the 3-mu m absorption band feature, which is commonly ascribed to hydroxyl (OH) and /or water (H2O), at local midday is significantly (similar to 30%) stronger than on the surrounding surface and, surprisingly, stronger than in the illuminated polar highlands. We did not find a similar area of excessively strong 3-mu m absorption anywhere else on the Moon. A possible explanation for this structure is the recent infall of meteoritic or cometary material of high OH /H2O content forming a thin layer detectable by its pronounced 3-mu m band, where a small amount of the OH /H2O is adsorbed by the surface material into binding states of relatively high activation energy. Detailed analysis of this structure with next-generation spacecraft instrumentation will provide further insight into the processes that lead to the accumulation of OH /H2O in the lunar regolith surface.
