Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 69
Characterizing the source of potentially asbestos-bearing commercial vermiculite insulation using in situ IR spectroscopy
Commercially produced vermiculite insulation from Libby, Montana, contains trace levels of asbestiform amphibole, which is known to cause asbestos-related diseases. When vermiculite insulation is found in a building, evaluation for its potential asbestos content traditionally involves collecting a sample from an attic or wall and submitting it for time-consuming analyses at an off-site laboratory.
USGS Spectral Library Version 7
We have assembled a library of spectra measured with laboratory, field, and airborne spectrometers. The instruments used cover wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (0.2 to 200 microns [μm]). Laboratory samples of specific minerals, plants, chemical compounds, and manmade materials were measured. In many cases, samples were purified, so that unique spectral features of a material ca
Developing integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues
IntroductionThis circular provides an overview of selected activities that were conducted within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Integrated Methods Development Project, an interdisciplinary project designed to develop new tools and conduct innovative research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise. The project was supported by the USGS Mineral R
The Tetracorder user guide: version 4.4
Imaging spectroscopy mapping software assists in the identification and mapping of materials based on their chemical properties as expressed in spectral measurements of a planet including the solid or liquid surface or atmosphere. Such software can be used to analyze field, aircraft, or spacecraft data; remote sensing datasets; or laboratory spectra. Tetracorder is a set of software algorithms com
Mapping advanced argillic alteration at Cuprite, Nevada, using imaging spectroscopy
Mineral maps based on Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data were used to study late Miocene advanced argillic alteration at Cuprite, Nevada. Distributions of Fe-bearing minerals, clays, micas, sulfates, and carbonates were mapped using the Tetracorder spectral-shape matching system. The Al content of white micas increases toward altered areas and near intrusive rocks. Alunit
Spectroscopy from Space
This chapter reviews detection of materials on solid and liquid (lakes and ocean) surfaces in the solar system using ultraviolet to infrared spectroscopy from space, or near space (high altitude aircraft on the Earth), or in the case of remote objects, earth-based and earth-orbiting telescopes. Point spectrometers and imaging spectrometers have been probing the surfaces of our solar system for dec
Observed ices in the Solar System
Ices have been detected and mapped on the Earth and all planets and/or their satellites further from the sun. Water ice is the most common frozen volatile observed and is also unambiguously detected or inferred in every planet and/or their moon(s) except Venus. Carbon dioxide is also extensively found in all systems beyond the Earth except Pluto although it sometimes appears to be trapped rather t
State of the art satellite and airborne marine oil spill remote sensing: Application to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The vast and persistent Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill challenged response capabilities, which required accurate, quantitative oil assessment at synoptic and operational scales. Although experienced observers are a spill response's mainstay, few trained observers and confounding factors including weather, oil emulsification, and scene illumination geometry present challenges. DWH spill and impact m
A newly discovered impact crater in Titan's Senkyo: Cassini VIMS observations and comparison with other impact features
Senkyo is an equatorial plain on Titan filled with dunes and surrounded by hummocky plateaus. During the Titan targeted flyby T61 on August 25, 2009, the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft observed a circular feature, centered at 5.4° N and 341°W, that superimposes the dune fields and a bright plateau. This circular feature, which has been named
Titan's fluvial valleys: Morphology, distribution, and spectral properties
Titan's fluvial channels have been investigated based on data obtained by the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument and the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft. In this paper, a database of fluvial features is created based on radar-SAR data aiming to unveil the distribution and the morphologic and spectral characteristics of valleys on Titan on a gl
The Saturnian satellite Rhea as seen by Cassini VIMS
Since the arrival of the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn in June 2004, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer has obtained new spectral data of the icy satellites of Saturn in the spectral range from 0.35 to 5.2 μm. Numerous flybys were performed at Saturn’s second largest satellite Rhea, providing a nearly complete coverage with pixel-ground resolutions sufficient to analyze variations of spec
Dissipation of Titans north polar cloud at northern spring equinox
Saturn's Moon Titan has a thick atmosphere with a meteorological cycle. We report on the evolution of the giant cloud system covering its north pole using observations acquired by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer onboard the Cassini spacecraft. A radiative transfer model in spherical geometry shows that the clouds are found at an altitude between 30 and 65 km. We also show that the pol
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 69
Characterizing the source of potentially asbestos-bearing commercial vermiculite insulation using in situ IR spectroscopy
Commercially produced vermiculite insulation from Libby, Montana, contains trace levels of asbestiform amphibole, which is known to cause asbestos-related diseases. When vermiculite insulation is found in a building, evaluation for its potential asbestos content traditionally involves collecting a sample from an attic or wall and submitting it for time-consuming analyses at an off-site laboratory.USGS Spectral Library Version 7
We have assembled a library of spectra measured with laboratory, field, and airborne spectrometers. The instruments used cover wavelengths from the ultraviolet to the far infrared (0.2 to 200 microns [μm]). Laboratory samples of specific minerals, plants, chemical compounds, and manmade materials were measured. In many cases, samples were purified, so that unique spectral features of a material caDeveloping integrated methods to address complex resource and environmental issues
IntroductionThis circular provides an overview of selected activities that were conducted within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Integrated Methods Development Project, an interdisciplinary project designed to develop new tools and conduct innovative research requiring integration of geologic, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing expertise. The project was supported by the USGS Mineral RThe Tetracorder user guide: version 4.4
Imaging spectroscopy mapping software assists in the identification and mapping of materials based on their chemical properties as expressed in spectral measurements of a planet including the solid or liquid surface or atmosphere. Such software can be used to analyze field, aircraft, or spacecraft data; remote sensing datasets; or laboratory spectra. Tetracorder is a set of software algorithms comMapping advanced argillic alteration at Cuprite, Nevada, using imaging spectroscopy
Mineral maps based on Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data were used to study late Miocene advanced argillic alteration at Cuprite, Nevada. Distributions of Fe-bearing minerals, clays, micas, sulfates, and carbonates were mapped using the Tetracorder spectral-shape matching system. The Al content of white micas increases toward altered areas and near intrusive rocks. AlunitSpectroscopy from Space
This chapter reviews detection of materials on solid and liquid (lakes and ocean) surfaces in the solar system using ultraviolet to infrared spectroscopy from space, or near space (high altitude aircraft on the Earth), or in the case of remote objects, earth-based and earth-orbiting telescopes. Point spectrometers and imaging spectrometers have been probing the surfaces of our solar system for decObserved ices in the Solar System
Ices have been detected and mapped on the Earth and all planets and/or their satellites further from the sun. Water ice is the most common frozen volatile observed and is also unambiguously detected or inferred in every planet and/or their moon(s) except Venus. Carbon dioxide is also extensively found in all systems beyond the Earth except Pluto although it sometimes appears to be trapped rather tState of the art satellite and airborne marine oil spill remote sensing: Application to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The vast and persistent Deepwater Horizon (DWH) spill challenged response capabilities, which required accurate, quantitative oil assessment at synoptic and operational scales. Although experienced observers are a spill response's mainstay, few trained observers and confounding factors including weather, oil emulsification, and scene illumination geometry present challenges. DWH spill and impact mA newly discovered impact crater in Titan's Senkyo: Cassini VIMS observations and comparison with other impact features
Senkyo is an equatorial plain on Titan filled with dunes and surrounded by hummocky plateaus. During the Titan targeted flyby T61 on August 25, 2009, the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft observed a circular feature, centered at 5.4° N and 341°W, that superimposes the dune fields and a bright plateau. This circular feature, which has been namedTitan's fluvial valleys: Morphology, distribution, and spectral properties
Titan's fluvial channels have been investigated based on data obtained by the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument and the Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft. In this paper, a database of fluvial features is created based on radar-SAR data aiming to unveil the distribution and the morphologic and spectral characteristics of valleys on Titan on a glThe Saturnian satellite Rhea as seen by Cassini VIMS
Since the arrival of the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn in June 2004, the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer has obtained new spectral data of the icy satellites of Saturn in the spectral range from 0.35 to 5.2 μm. Numerous flybys were performed at Saturn’s second largest satellite Rhea, providing a nearly complete coverage with pixel-ground resolutions sufficient to analyze variations of specDissipation of Titans north polar cloud at northern spring equinox
Saturn's Moon Titan has a thick atmosphere with a meteorological cycle. We report on the evolution of the giant cloud system covering its north pole using observations acquired by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer onboard the Cassini spacecraft. A radiative transfer model in spherical geometry shows that the clouds are found at an altitude between 30 and 65 km. We also show that the pol