1Ming Ma et al. (>10)
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (in Press) Open Access Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1029/2026JE009657]
1School of Surveying and Exploration Engineering, and Key Laboratory of Architectural Cold Climate EnergyManagement, Ministry of Education, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun, China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons
Space weathering substantially distorts the Christiansen feature (CF) observed by LunarReconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Diviner thermal infrared radiometer, obscuring the intrinsic compositional andthermophysical signals of lunar surface silicate minerals. In this study, we develop a two‐step correctionframework designed to remove space weathering effects from a previously topographically corrected LRODiviner CF map. The method integrates Kaguya 750 nm reflectance, optical maturity (OMAT), FeO, H‐parameter, and npFe0 parameters to model nonlinear space weathering relationships across immature,moderately mature, and mature CF pixels. The corrected CF values exhibited reduced dependence on npFe0abundances, enhanced correlation with bulk FeO abundances, and improved internal consistency withincompositionally homogeneous regions. Comparisons with correction results based on Kaguya OMAT and FeOscale factors indicate that the proposed method more effectively suppresses space weathering inducedvariability while preserving compositionally diagnostic CF signatures. Persistent low CF anomalies in highlandregions suggest additional controls beyond npFe0 accumulation, potentially related to basaltic dustcontamination, subsurface compositional heterogeneity, and silicate amorphization processes. The resulting CFproduct offers a refined thermal infrared perspective on lunar surface composition, indicating clearer basalticdistributions, particularly within the South Pole Aitken basin.