Response to comment on “comparison of laboratory emission spectra with mercury telescopic data” by melissa lane

The laboratory spectrum published in Fig. 3 of A. L. Sprague and T. L. Roush (1998, Icarus133, 174-183) is a mixture of magnetite and hematite (˜34-45% magnetite, ˜55-66% hematite) rather than magnetite or hematite (M. D. Lane 2000, Icarus143, 000-000) alone. Because of the unusual nature of this sample (it is uniformly magnetic) we present results of X-ray diffraction, petrographic microscopy, and additional microprobe analyses. We compare this spectrum with laboratory spectra of hematite and magnetite. We can draw no conclusions regarding the presence or absence of magnetite on Mercury based solely on data in the spectral region 7.5-12μm.