Moon Ice Favorability Index South Pole 591mp

Primary Authors

Kevin Cannon

Originators

Elsevier

Publisher

USGS Astrogeology Science Center

Publication Date

2020-09-01

Abstract

The Ice Favorability Index (IFI) maps below are based on a geologic system model for ice deposition and evolution (Cannon and Britt 2020). The index maps are predictive, not based on surface ice detections, and highlight regions likely to host the most favorable ice deposits for mining. Desired characteristics include older ages, ice stability closer to the surface, and higher areal fraction of cold traps. These maps are agnostic in terms of mining architecture, and some areas may only be accessible with nuclear power for example. References: Cannon, K. M., and D. T. Britt (2020), A geologic model for lunar ice deposits at mining scales. Icarus 347, 10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113778. Siegler et al. (2016), Lunar true polar wander inferred from polar hydrogen Nature, 531 (2016), pp. 480-484. Rubanenko and Aharonson (2017), Stability of ice on the Moon with rough topography Icarus, 296 (2017), pp. 99-109. Neukum (1983), Meteoritenbombardement and Datierung Planetarer Oberflächen Habilitation Dissertation for Faculty Membership, Univ. of Munich. Neukum et al. (2001), Cratering records in the Inner Solar System in relation to the Lunar Reference System R. Kallenbach, J. Geiss, W.K. Hartmann (Eds.), Chronology and Evolution of Mars, Bern, Switzerland. Robbins (2019), A New Global Database of Lunar Impact Craters >1–2 km: 1. Crater Locations and Sizes, Comparisons With Published Databases, and Global Analysis J. Geophys. Res. Planets, 124 (2019), pp. 871-892.

Purpose

The Ice Favorability Index (IFI) is a unitless measure meant to predict which locations at the lunar poles may be more or less favorable for hosting deep, substantial deposits of water ice. It is not meant to be a quantitative measure of ice resources or reserves, and should not be used in isolation to select landing sites or mining locations. The intent of the IFI is to guide further site analysis and ground prospecting efforts.

Contact and Distribution

Format

Model, Raster Data

Access Constraints

none

Access Scope

PDS

Use Constraints

please cite Cannon and Britt 2020

Edition

1

Edition Name

release

Supplemental Information

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113778

Native Data Set Environment

ESRI Arcinfo, GDAL, ISIS v3

Astrogeology Theme

Ice, Image Processing

Online Package Link

https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/moon_ice_favorability_index_south_pole_591mp

External File Size

4 MB

Online File Link

https://planetarymaps.usgs.gov/mosaic/Lunar_Research/IceFavorabilityIndex/Moon_IceFavorabilityIndex_90S000E_591mp.tif

Contact Address

2255 N. Gemini Drive

Contact City

Flagstaff

Contact State

AZ

Contact Postal Code

86001

Contact Email

astroweb@usgs.gov

Data Status and Quality

Time Period of Content (start)

2018-09-01

Time Period of Content (stop)

2020-09-01

Currentness Reference

Publication date

Progress

Complete

Update Frequency

As needed

Logical Consistency

The main inputs into the model are the ice stability depth maps from Siegler et al. (2016), the latitude-dependent micro cold trap areal fractions from Rubanenko and Aharonson (2017), the impact flux over time from Neukum (1983) and Neukum et al. (2001), and an estimate for the crater retention age of a location using the Robbins (2019) crater database.

Process Description

IFI maps were created on a stereographic grid from 80° to the pole, 1000 × 1000 cells in size

Source Title

A geologic model for lunar ice deposits at mining scales

Source Online Linkage

{https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2020.113778,https://kevincannon.rocks/lunarmining/#favorability,NULL}

PDS Status

PDS 3 Compatible

Geospatial Information

Target

Moon

System

Earth

Minimum Latitude

-90

Maximum Latitude

-75.863

Minimum Longitude

-180

Maximum Longitude

180

Direct Spatial Reference Method

Raster

Object Type

Grid Cell

Raster Row Count (lines)

1000

Raster Column Count (samples)

1000

Bit Type (8, 16, 32)

32

Quad System

Moon 1:1M

Quad Name

LQ-30

Radius A

1737400

Radius C

1737400

Bands

1

Pixel Resolution (meters/pixel)

590.961

Scale (pixels/degree)

51.312

Map Projection Name

Polar Stereographic

Latitude Type

Planetocentric

Longitude Direction

Positive East

Longitude Domain

-180 to 180