Linear Deconvolution

A unique aspect of thermal infrared emitted energy is that it mixes linearly as function of the amount of minerals (endmembers) on the surface. Spectral features from a planetary surface, a rock hand sample, or particulate mixture can therefore be deconvolved (or unmixed) using the TES spectral library in order to decipher the percentages and spatial distrubution of those endmembers. An ongoing research project is to develop, refine, and test the applicabilty and speed of the linear deconvolution model for use on the data soon to be returned from Earth and Mars. This testing has taken place in the laboratory on particulates and rocks, and in the field using remote sensing TIR data of Meteor Crater, AZ; The Kelso Dunes, CA; and on numerous silicic domes in northern CA. Using thermal infrared imagery yields not only information on surface composition, but temperature as well. As such, it is an invaluable tool for monitoring active volcanic centers. Complications arise, however, when dealing with a lava surface that is highly vesiculated and/or vitrified. These textural effects are the most current area of research and have been accurately mapped using the deconvolution model in Hawaii and the Cascades.

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