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The surface composition of AmaltheaIt is proposed that charged particles from the Jovian magnetosphere, contaminants such as sulfur from Io, and high-velocity micrometeoritic matter, combine to darken, redden, and alter the surface of Amalthea revealed by Voyager; whose few isolated bright spots have a distinct greenish spectrum. A major finding of this analysis is that available spectral reflectance data contain little information about the bulk composition of the satellite. The effects of contamination by sulfur and its allotropes are shown to redden a variety of bulk compositions: carbonaceous material, refractory minerals, iron and iron sulfides, and moderate temperature silicates. The bright, greenish spots probably identify locations in which atypical alteration processes occur, such as variations in the amount of contaminant sulfur in micrometeoritic glasses or in the relative abundances of certain sulfur allotropes.
Document ID
19810048212
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Gradie, J.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Thomas, P.
(Cornell Univ. Ithaca, NY, United States)
Veverka, J.
(Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y., United States)
Date Acquired
August 11, 2013
Publication Date
November 1, 1980
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
81A32616
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-7606
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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