Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Thermal-infrared spectra and chemical analyses of twenty-six igneous rock samples

January 1, 1975

Emittance spectra in the 7.5 μm to 14 μm wavelength region and chemical compositions of 26 igneous rocks are reported. Experimental measurements on the rocks were made under simulated daytime field conditions. Some surface silicate contaminants, such as clayey silt, significantly altered the spectral emittance of a fresh sample, whereas, for these samples, hydrous and anhydrous ferric oxide weathering products did not mask important silicate spectral information. In the 11.75 μm to 13.75 μm wavelength region, the mean emittance of all the silicate samples was0.956 ± 0.008, except for periodtite, which had an average emittance of 0.895. This region of uniform emittance should be useful in remote sensing experiments for the separation of the effects of temperature and chemical composition on the spectral emittance of silicate rocks.

    Publication Year 1975
    Title Thermal-infrared spectra and chemical analyses of twenty-six igneous rock samples
    DOI 10.1016/0034-4257(75)90016-4
    Authors R.K. Vincent, L. C. Rowan, R.E. Gillespie, C. Knapp
    Publication Type Article
    Publication Subtype Journal Article
    Series Title Remote Sensing of Environment
    Index ID 70010074
    Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse