A correlation study based on Al/Si X-ray fluorescence data from southwestern part of Mare Serenitatis

A correlation study based on Al/Si intensity ratios, broad-spectrum visible-albedo measurements, color-difference photography, color-ratio images, and spectral-reflectivity curves was undertaken to understand why the Tacquet Formation in southwestern Mare Serenitatis has unusually low visible albedos for the Al/Si intensity ratios measured by the Apollo 15 X-ray fluorescence experiment. The statistical analysis of the Al/Si data is described, general correlations among all the remote-sensing data are noted, and correlations in the area of the Tacquet Formation are examined. It is shown that the discrepancy between visible albedos and Al/Si intensities may be due primarily to the presence of unevenly deposited highland-type ejecta from Menaleus crater, although the possibility cannot be excluded that the Tacquet Formation is more complex than a simple mixture of highland and mare materials.