Bradley L. Jolliff

Research Associate Professor
Ph.D., South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, 1987

Geology, Petrology, and Geochemistry of the Earth, Moon, and Mars

Dr. Jolliff is active in three main areas of research: petrology and geochemistry of lunar rocks and terrestrial analogs; geology and geochemistry of the Moon using remotely-sensed data; and the use of laser Raman spectroscopy for planetary on-surface analysis of minerals and rocks.

Lunar rocks and soils collected by the Apollo astronauts and chunks of rock blasted off the surface of the Moon and delivered to Earth as meteorites continue to yield new information. Dr. Jolliff uses a combination of optical petrography, microbeam analysis methods (electron microprobe, ion microprobe, and laser Raman spectroscopy), and instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) to investigate lunar samples. The main focus in this area is to use the compositional information recorded within mineral grains, coupled with rock textures and compositions, to learn about the formation and history of lunar rocks and the igneous and impact evolution of the Moon's crust. A favorite place to look for new and interesting types of lunar rocks is in the soils scooped up by the Apollo astronauts. These contain thousands of small rock fragments in the 2 to 10 mm size range, which in many cases represent well the textural relationships of their larger rock counterparts. Recent studies in this area have investigated individual samples or groups of samples to determine how they formed, whether by crystallization from an internally generated magma or melted rock from a large impact event.

Click on an image to get a ~2x enlargement.

A recent project involved the analysis by ion microprobe of the silicate minerals in a small fragment of a plutonic rock that contains evidence of silicate liquid immiscibility. This small rock, known by its lunar sample number, 14161,7373, has among the highest rare-element concentrations of any known lunar rock. This sample was first identified during a survey using Instrumental neutron activation analysis of soil particles from Apollo 14. The tiny rock was then sliced and made into a polished thin section for microbeam analysis. Investigation of this sample revealed that it formed initially in a magma chamber about a kilometer deep from magma whose composition was similar to KREEP basalt. Before it was fully solidified, the parent mineral-melt system was mobilized, possibly as an intrusive dike or by impact processes, to near the surface, where it finished crystallizing rapidly. The cooling history is recorded in the exsolution features of pyroxene in this particular sample, as in other pyroxene-bearing igneous lunar rocks. This fascinating rock contains exsolved augite and pigeonite, plagioclase, apatite and whitlockite (a phosphate mineral, also known as merrillite, that in lunar rocks has high concentrations of rare-earth elements), zircon, troilite, and granophyric intergrowths of silica and K-feldspar. The latter occur in an egg-shaped grain and in several rounded to tear-drop shapes that indicate an origin by silicate-melt immiscibility during a late stage of melt solidification. The geochemical characteristics of this and several related samples show that lunar granite forms by this kind of late-stage melt separation coupled with differentiation of the melt by the crystallization of whitlockite.

Another recent project was to use the Apollo landing sites and what is known about their soil compositions and variations to help validate and calibrate remotely sensed information from the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions. One project used the Apollo 17 landing site sample stations shown in the image below as ground truth for Clementine UVVIS multispectral data.  Some twenty individual sample stations can be resolved in the Clementine UVVIS images and the measured soil compositions of samples from those stations were used to provide an empirical correlation to FeO and TiO₂ concentrations derived from the spectral data. 

The results are shown for FeO in the figures above. At the Apollo 17 site, the regolith compositions span a broad range from those very rich in mare basalt to those containing noritic to anorthositic components of the highland massifs, making it an ideal site for calibration. A similar calibration was done for TiO2. The multispectral data, once calibrated, can be used to investigate surrounding regions in terms of the rock types and compositions known from the samples. Jolliff and Mark Robinson (Northwestern University) have used the calibrated data coupled with high-resolution lunar topography (and corrected for the photometric effects associated with slopes) to investigate the makeup and stratigraphy of the massifs and the nearby Sculptured Hills and to better understand ancient, high-elevation volcanic plains that were likely in place prior to the Serenitatis basin-forming event.

Geologic sketch map of the Apollo 17 region with a rock unit classification overlay based on compositions of FeO and TiO2 derived from Clementine data.

The Apollo 12 site was investigated using Clementine UVVIS data and Lunar Prospector thorium data. This site lies within the Procellarum region, which was shown by Lunar Prospector data to be an enormous Th "hotspot." The regolith samples from the Apollo 12 site are nearly half composed of non-volcanic materials, even though the site is on a mare plain. This is not surprising given that crater rays from Copernicus cross the site. However, careful analysis of the soil compositions and of the remotely sensed data show that Copernicus is likely not the only or even the main source of non-volcanic material. Other possible sources include non-volcanic formations underlying the basalts, mixed vertically by impact processes, with perhaps significant contributions by craters such as Lansberg and Reinhold, which were formed during the time interval when the basalts were erupting.  These results provided the motivation to open a new investigation into the rock components of the Apollo12 regolith.

Other work includes involvement with FIDO rover testing, using automated rover-mounted instrumentation to investigate rock diversity and geologic setting, and connecting in-situ and local observations to remotely sensed orbital data. May 2000 FIDO testing demonstrated integration of rover-mounted imaging, near-field infrared point spectrometry, microscopic imaging, and coupling of ground-based observations to remotely sensed AVIRIS data.

Another Earth-based project involved field work with Prof. Arvidson and the Washington University Hewlett students in August 2000 near the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The group studied the hydrology of a high-altitude, perched body of water, Lake Waiau, and the drainage basin that supplies it. Alteration associated with volcanic cones was studied as part of an effort to correlate features to remotely obtained multispectral data. Isotopic analyses of samples of water from the lake and high-altitude precipitation, coupled with results of evaporation pan experiments on site, are being used to help constrain the hydrologic cycle of the lake. Water loss is primarily by evaporation in this generally cold and dry environment, with rare replenishment by precipitation and watershed runoff.

See a description of some of Brad's recent work at Planetary Science Research Discoveries (by G. Jeffrey Taylor, University of Hawai'i).

Farrand, W. H., J. F. Bell III, J. R. Johnson, B. L. Jolliff, A.H. Knoll, S. M. McLennan, S. W. Squyres, W. M. Calvin, J. P. Grotzinger, R. V. Morris, J. Soderblom, S. D. Thompson, W. A. Watters, and A. S. Yen (2007) Visible and near-infrared multispectral analysis of rocks at Meridiani Planum, Mars, by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. J. Geophys. Res., 112, E06S02, doi:10.1029/2006JE002773.

Guinness, E. A., R. E. Arvidson, B. L. Jolliff, K. D. Seelos, F. P. Seelos, D. W. Ming, R. V. Morris, and T. G. Graff (2007) Hyperspectral reflectance mapping of cinder cones at the summit of Mauna Kea and implications for equivalent observations on Mars. J. Geophys. Res., 112, E08S11, doi:10.1029/2006JE002822.

Floss C., Jolliff B. L., Benedix G.K., Stadermann F. J., and Reid J. (2007) Hammadah al Hamra 193: The first amphibole-bearing winonaite. American Mineralogist 92, 460-467.

Korotev R. L., Zeigler R. A., and Jolliff B. L. (2006) Feldspathic lunar meteorites Pecora Escarpment 02007 and Dhofar 489: Contamination of the surface of the lunar highlands by post-basin impacts. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70, 5935-5956.

Barra F., Swindle T. D., Korotev R. L., Jolliff B. L., Zeigler R. A., and Olson E. (2006) ⁴⁰Ar-³⁹Ar dating on Apollo 12 regolith: Implications on the age of Copernicus and the source of non-mare materials. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70, 6016-6031.

Zeigler R. A., Korotev R. L., Jolliff B. L., L Haskin. A., and Floss C. (2006) The geochemistry and provenance of Apollo 16 mafic glasses. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 70, 6050-6067.

Jolliff B. L. J. M. Hughes, J. J. Freeman., and R. A. Zeigler (2006) Crystal chemistry of lunar merrillite and comparison to other meteoritic and planetary suites of whitlockite and merrillite. American Mineralogist 91, 1583-1595 (2006).

Hughes J. M., B. L. Jolliff, and M. E. Gunter (2006) The atomic arrangement of merrillite from the Fra Mauro Formation, Apollo 14 lunar mission: The first structure of merrillite from the Moon. American Mineralogist 91, 1547-1552.

Jolliff B. L., Wieczorek M. A., Shearer C. K., and Neal C. R., eds. (2006) New Views of the Moon, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Vol. 60. Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, DC. 721 pp.

Wieczorek M. A., B. L. Jolliff, A. Khan, M. E. Pritchard, B. P. Weiss, J. G. Williams, L. L. Hood, K. Righter, C. R. Neal, C. K. Shearer, I. S. McCallum, S. Tompkins, B. R. Hawke, C. Patterson, J. J. Gillis, and B. Bussey (2006) Chapter 3. The constitution and structure of the lunar interior. In New Views of the Moon, p 221-364. Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Volume 60 (Jolliff, B. L. M. A. Wieczorek, C. K. Shearer, and C. R. Neal, eds.). Mineralogical Society of America, Washington, DC (2006).

Jolliff B. L., S. M. McLennan, and the Athena Science Team (2006) Evidence for water at Meridiani. Elements 2, 163-167.

Wang A., L. A. Haskin, S. W. Squyres, B. L. Jolliff, L. Crumpler, R. Gellert, C. Schröder, K. Herkenhoff, J. Hurowitz, N. J. Tosca, W. H. Farrand, Robert Anderson, and A. T. Knudson (2006) Sulfate Deposition in Subsurface Regolith in Gusev Crater, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research, in press.

Wang A., R. L. Korotev, L. A. Haskin, B. L. Jolliff, L. Crumpler, W. H. Farrand, K. Herkenhoff, P. de Souza Jr., A. Kusack, J. Hurowitz, and N. J. Tosca (2006) Evidence of phyllosilicates in Wooly Patch, an altered rock encountered at West Spur, Columbia Hills, by the Spirit Rover in Gusev crater, Mars. Journal of Geophysical Research, in press.

Hughes J. M., B. L. Jolliff, and M. E. Gunter (2006) The atomic arrangement of merrillite from the Fra Mauro Formation, Apollo 14 lunar mission: The first structure of merrillite from the Moon. American Mineralogist, in press.

Zeigler R. A., Korotev R. L., Haskin L. A., Jolliff B. L., and Gillis J. J. (2006) Petrology and geochemistry of five new Apollo 16 mare basalts and evidence for post-basin deposition of basaltic material at the site. Meteoritics & Planetary Science 41, 263-284.

Yen A. S., R. Gellert, C. Schröder, R. V. Morris, J. F. Bell III, A. T. Knudson, B. C. Clark, D. W. Ming, J. A. Crisp, R. E. Arvidson, D. Blaney, J. Brückner, P. R. Christensen, D. J. DesMarais, P. A. de Souza Jr., T. E. Economou, A. Ghosh, B. C. Hahn, K. E. Herkenhoff, L. A. Haskin, J. A. Hurowitz, B. L. Jolliff, J. R. Johnson, G. Klingelhöfer, M. B. Madsen, S M. McLennan, H. Y. McSween, L. Richter , R. Rieder, D. Rodionov, L. Soderblom, S. W. Squyres, N. J. Tosca, A. Wang, M. Wyatt, J. Zipfel (2005) An Integrated View of the Chemistry and Mineralogy of Martian Soils. Nature 436, 49-54.

Haskin L. A., A. Wang, B. L. Jolliff, H. Y. McSween, B. C. Clark, D. J. Des Marais, S. M. McLennan, N. J. Tosca, J. A. Hurowitz, J. D. Farmer, A. Yen, S. W. Squyres, R. E. Arvidson, G. Klingelhöfer, C. Schröder, P. A. de Souza Jr., D. W. Ming, R. Gellert, J. Zipfel, J. Brückner, J. F. Bell III, K. Herkenhoff, P. R. Christensen, S. Ruff, D. Blaney, S. Gorevan, N. A. Cabrol, L. Crumpler, J. Grant, and L. Soderblom (2005) Water alteration of rocks and soils on Mars at the Spirit Rover Site in Gusev Crater, Mars. Nature 436, 66-69.

Zeigler R. A., R. L. Korotev, B. L. Jolliff, L. A. Haskin (2005) Petrology and geochemistry of the LaPaz Icefield basaltic lunar meteorite and source-crater pairing with Northwest Africa 032. Meteoritics and Planetary Science 40, 1073-1102.

Clark B. C., R.V. Morris, S. M. McLennan, R. Gellert, B. Jolliff, A. Knoll, S. W. Squyres, T. K. Lowenstein, D. W. Ming, N. J. Tosca, A. Yen, P. R. Christensen, S. Gorevan, J. Brückner, W. Calvin, G. Dreibus, W. Farrand, G. Klingelhöfer, H. Wänke, J. Zipfel, J. Bell, J. Grotzinger, H.Y. McSween, R. Rieder (2005) Chemistry and mineralogy of outcrops at Meridiani Planum, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 240, 73-94.

McLennan S. M., J. F. Bell III, W. M. Calvin, P. R. Christensen, B. C. Clark, P. A. de Souza, J. Farmer, W. H. Farrand, D. A. Fike, R. Gellert, A. Ghosh, T. D. Glotch, J. P. Grotzinger, B. Hahn, K. E. Herkenhoff, J. A. Hurowitz, J. R. Johnson, S. S. Johnson, B. Jolliff, G. Klingelhöfer, A. H. Knoll, Z. Learner, M. C. Malin, H. Y. McSween Jr., J. Pocock, S. W. Ruff, L. A. Soderblom, S. W. Squyres, N. J. Tosca, W. A. Watters, M. B. Wyatt, A. Yen (2005) Provenance and diagenesis of the evaporite-bearing Burns formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 240, 95-121.

Grotzinger J., J. F. Bell III, W. Calvin, B. C. Clark, D. Fike, M. Golombek, R. Greeley, K. E. Herkenhoff, B. Jolliff, A. H. Knoll, M. Malin, S. M. McLennan , T. Parker, L. Soderblom, J.N. Sohl-Dickstein, R. Sullivan, S. W. Squyres, N. J. Tosca, W. Watters (2005) Stratigraphy and sedimentology of a dry to wet eolian depositional system, Burns formation, Meridiani Planum, Mars, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 240, 11-72.

Wang A., K. E. Kuebler, B. L. Jolliff, and L. A. Haskin (2004) Mineralogy of a martian meteorite as determined by Raman spectroscopy, Journal of Raman Spectroscopy 35, 504-514.

Wang A., K. E. Kuebler, B. L. Jolliff, and L. A. Haskin (2004) Raman spectroscopy of Fe-Ti-Cr-oxides, case study: Martian meteorite EETA79001, American Mineralogist 89, 665-680.

McSween H. Y., R. E. Arvidson, J. F. Bell III, D. Blaney, N. A. Cabrol, P. R. Christensen, B. C. Clark, J. A. Crisp, L. S. Crumpler, D. J. Des Marais, J. D. Farmer, R. Gellert, A. Ghosh, S. Gorevan, T. Graff, J. Grant, L. A. Haskin, K. E. Herkenhoff, J. R. Johnson, B. L. Jolliff, G. Klingelhoefer, A. T. Knudson, S. McLennan, K. A. Milam, J. E., Moersch, R. V. Morris, R. Rieder, S. W. Ruff, P. A. de Souza Jr., S. W. Squyres, H. Wänke, A. Wang, M. B. Wyatt, A. Yen, and J. Zipfel (2004) Basaltic rocks analyzed by the Spirit rover in Gusev Crater, Science 305, 842-845.

Hofmeister A., P. A. Giesting, B. Wopenka, G. D. Gwanmesia, and B. L. Jolliff (2004) Vibrational spectroscopy of pyrope-majorite garnets: Structural implications, American Mineralogist 89, 132–146.

Giesting P. A., A. M. Hofmeister, B. Wopenka, G. D. Gwanmesia, and B. L. Jolliff (2004) Thermal conductivity and thermodynamics of majoritic garnets: Implications for the transition zone, Earth and Planetary Science Letters 218, 45-56.

Gillis J. J., R. L. Korotev, and B. L. Jolliff (2004) Lunar surface geochemistry: Global concentrations of Th, K, and FeO as derived from lunar prospector and Clementine data. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 68, 3791-3805. erratum

Ehlmann B. L., R. E. Arvidson, B. L. Jolliff, S. S. Johnson, B. Ebel, N. Lovenduski, J. Morris, J. A. Byers, N. Snider, R. E. Criss (2005) Hydrologic and Isotopic Modeling of Alpine Lake Waiau, Mauna Kea, Hawai’i. Pacific Science 59, 1–15.

Soderblom L. A., R. C. Anderson, R. E. Arvidson, J F. Bell III, N. A. Cabrol, W. Calvin, P. R. Christensen, B. C. Clark, T. Economou, B. L. Ehlmann, W. H. Farrand, D. Fike, R. Gellert, T. D. Glotch, M. P. Golombek, R. Greeley, J. P. Grotzinger, K. E. Herkenhoff , D. J. Jerolmack, J. R. Johnson, B. L. Jolliff, G. Klingelhöfer, A. H. Knoll, earner, R. Li, M. C. Malin, S. M. McLennan, H. Y. McSween, D. W. Ming, R. V. Morris, J.W. Rice Jr. , L. Richter, R. Rieder, D. Rodionov, C. Schröder, F. P. Seelos IV, J. M. Soderblom, S.W. Squyres, R. Sullivan, W. Watters, C. Weitz, M. B. Wyatt, A. Yen, J. Zipfel (2004) The unique martian soils of Eagle Crater and Meridiani Planum. Science 306, 1723–1726.

Herkenhoff K. E., S. W. Squyres, R. Arvidson, D. S. Bass, J. F. Bell III, P. Bertelsen, B. L. Ehlmann, W. Farrand, L. Gaddis, R. Greeley, J. Grotzinger, A. G. Hayes, S. F. Hviid, J. R. Johnson, B. Jolliff, K. M. Kinsch, A. H. Knoll, M B. Madsen, J. N. Maki, S. M. McLennan, H. Y. McSween, D. W. Ming, J. W. Rice Jr., L. Richter, M. Sims, P. H. Smith, L. A. Soderblom, N. Spanovich, R. Sullivan, S. Thompson, T. Wdowiak, C. Weitz, and P. Whelley (2004) Evidence from Opportunity’s microscopic imager for water on Meridiani Planum. Science 306, 1727–1730.

Gillis J. J., B. L. Jolliff, and R. E. Elphic (2003) A revised algorithm for calculating TiO2 from Clementine UVVIS data: A synthesis of rock, soil, and remotely sensed TiO2 concentrations, J. Geophys. Res. 108, No. E2, DOI 10.1029/2001JE001515.

Korotev R. L., B. L. Jolliff, R. A. Zeigler, and L. A. Haskin (2003) Compositional constraints on the launch pairing of three brecciated lunar meteorites of basaltic composition, Antarctic Meteorite Research 16, 152–175.

Jolliff B. L., R. L. Korotev, R. A. Zeigler, and C. Floss (2003) Northwest Africa 773: Lunar mare breccia with a shallow-formed Olivine-cumulate component, very-low-Ti (VLT) heritage, and a KREEP connection. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67, 4857–4879.

Korotev R. L., B. L. Jolliff, R. A. Zeigler, J. J. Gillis, and L. A. Haskin (2003) Feldspathic lunar meteorites and their implications for compositional remote sensing of the lunar surface and the composition of the lunar crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67, 4895–4923.

Kitts B. K., F. A. Podosek, R. H. Nichols, Jr., J. C. Brannon, J. Ramezani, R. L. Korotev and B. L. Jolliff (2003) Isotopic composition of surface-correlated chromium in Apollo 16 lunar soils, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 67, 4881-4893.

Fagan T. J., G. J. Taylor, K. Keil, T. E. Bunch, J. H. Wittke, R. L. Korotev, B. L. Jolliff , J. J. Gillis, L. A. Haskin, E. Jarosewich, R. N. Clayton, T. K. Mayeda, V. A. Fernandes, R. Burgess, G. Turner, O. Eugster, and S. Lorenzetti (2002) Northwest Africa 032: Product of lunar volcanism, Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 37, 371–394.

Arvidson R. E., S. W. Squyres, E. T. Baumgartner, P. S. Schenker, C. S. Niebur, K. W. Larsen, F. P. Seelos IV, N. O. Snider, and B. L. Jolliff (2002) FIDO prototype Mars rover field trials, Black Rock Summit, Nevada, as test of the ability of robotic mobility systems to conduct field science, J. Geophys. Res. 107, No. E11, DOI 10.1029/2000JE001464, FIDO 2-1–2-17.

Jolliff B., A. Knoll, R. V. Morris, J. Moersch, H. McSween, M. Gilmore, R. Arvidson, R. Greeley, K. Herkenhoff, and S. Squyres (2002) Remotely-sensed geology from lander-based to orbital perspectives: Results of FIDO rover May 2000 field tests, J. Geophys. Res. 107, No. E11, DOI 10.1029/2000JE001470, FIDO 7-1–7-17.

Moersch J., B. Jolliff, , H. Y. McSween R. V. Morris, M. S. Gilmore, R. E. Arvidson, and S. W. Squyres (2002) Synthesis of overhead and ground-based infrared spectroscopy at the 2000 FIDO Mars rover field tests, J. Geophys. Res. 107, No. E11, DOI 10.1029/2001JE001524, FIDO 6-1–6-10.

Robinson M. S., and B. L. Jolliff (2002) Apollo 17 Landing Site: Topography, photometric corrections, and heterogeneity of the surrounding highland massifs, J. Geophys. Res. 107, No. E11, DOI 10.1029/2001JE001614, 20-1–20-30.

Wang A., B. L. Jolliff, L. A. Haskin, K. E. Kuebler, and K. M. Viskupic (2001) Characterization and comparison of structural and compositional features of planetary quadrilateral pyroxenes by Raman spectroscopy. American Mineralogist 86, 790–806.

Pieters C. M., J. W. Head III, L. Gaddis, B. Jolliff, and M. Duke (2001) Rock types of South Pole – Aitken Basin and extent of basaltic volcanism, J. Geophys. Res. 106, 28,001–28,022.

Jolliff B. L., J. J. Gillis, L. A. Haskin, R. L. Korotev, and M. A. Wieczorek (2000) Major lunar crustal terranes: Surface expressions and crust-mantle origins. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 4197–4216.

Lucey P. G., D. T. Blewett, and B. L. Jolliff (2000) Lunar iron and titanium abundance algorithms based on final processing of Clementine UVVIS images. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 20,297–20,305.

Haskin L. A, J. J. Gillis, R. L. Korotev, and B. L. Jolliff (2000) The materials of the lunar Procellarum KREEP Terrane: A synthesis of data from geomorphological mapping, remote sensing, and sample analysis. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 20,403–20,415.

Jolliff B. L., L. R. Gaddis, G. Ryder, C. R. Neal, C. K. Shearer, R. C. Elphic, J. R. Johnson, L. P. Keller, R. L. Korotev, D. J. Lawrence, P. G. Lucey, J. J. Papike, C. M. Pieters, P. D. Spudis, and L. A. Taylor (2000) New views of the Moon: Improved understanding through data integration. Eos, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 81, 349–355.

Larsen K., R. E. Arvidson, B. L. Jolliff, and B. E. Clark (2000) Correspondence and least squares analyses of soil and rock compositions for the Viking Lander 1 and Pathfinder landing sites. J. Geophys. Res. 105, 29,207–29,221.

recent abstracts by the Planetary Materials Research Group

See also Department Publications

314-935-5622	blj@levee.wustl.edu
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