Warren and Taylor-2014-In Tog-The Moon-'Author's Personal Copy'.Pdf

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Warren and Taylor-2014-In Tog-The Moon-'Author's Personal Copy'.Pdf This article was originally published in Treatise on Geochemistry, Second Edition published by Elsevier, and the attached copy is provided by Elsevier for the author's benefit and for the benefit of the author's institution, for non- commercial research and educational use including without limitation use in instruction at your institution, sending it to specific colleagues who you know, and providing a copy to your institution’s administrator. All other uses, reproduction and distribution, including without limitation commercial reprints, selling or licensing copies or access, or posting on open internet sites, your personal or institution’s website or repository, are prohibited. For exceptions, permission may be sought for such use through Elsevier's permissions site at: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/permissionusematerial Warren P.H., and Taylor G.J. (2014) The Moon. In: Holland H.D. and Turekian K.K. (eds.) Treatise on Geochemistry, Second Edition, vol. 2, pp. 213-250. Oxford: Elsevier. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Author's personal copy 2.9 The Moon PH Warren, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA GJ Taylor, University of Hawai‘i, Honolulu, HI, USA ã 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This article is a revision of the previous edition article by P. H. Warren, volume 1, pp. 559–599, © 2003, Elsevier Ltd. 2.9.1 Introduction: The Lunar Context 213 2.9.2 The Lunar Geochemical Database 214 2.9.2.1 Artificially Acquired Samples 214 2.9.2.2 Lunar Meteorites 214 2.9.2.3 Remote-Sensing Data 215 2.9.3 Mare Volcanism 216 2.9.3.1 Classification of Mare Rocks 216 2.9.3.2 Chronology and Styles of Mare Volcanism 218 2.9.3.3 Mare Basalt Trace Element and Isotopic Trends 224 2.9.4 The Highland Crust: Impact Bombardment and Early Differentiation 227 2.9.4.1 Polymict Breccias and the KREEP Component 227 2.9.4.2 Bombardment History of the Moon 229 2.9.4.3 Impactor Residues: Siderophile and Fragmental 230 2.9.4.4 Pristine Highland Rocks: Distinctiveness of the Ferroan Anorthositic Suite 231 2.9.4.5 The Magma Ocean Hypothesis 235 2.9.4.6 Alternative Models 237 2.9.5 Water in the Moon 238 2.9.5.1 Traditional View of a Dry Moon 238 2.9.5.2 Water in Pyroclastic Glasses 239 2.9.5.3 Water in Apatite in Mare Basalts and KREEP-Related Samples 239 2.9.5.4 Water in the Lunar Mantle 240 2.9.5.5 Implications of Water in the Lunar Interior 240 2.9.6 The Bulk Composition and Origin of the Moon 241 Acknowledgments 242 References 242 2.9.1 Introduction: The Lunar Context Longhi, 1992, 2003; Warren and Wasson, 1979b), and in this sense, the Moon more resembles a planet than an asteroid. Stable isotopic data suggest a remarkably similar pedigree for Another direct consequence of the Moon’s comparatively the constituent matter of the Moon and Earth, given the great small size was early, rapid decay of its internal heat engine. But isotopic diversity among sampled components of the solar the Moon’s thermal disadvantage has resulted in one great system (Warren, 2011; Zhang et al, 2012). Yet, lunar materials advantage for planetology. Lunar surface terrains, and many are obviously different. The Moon has no hydrosphere and of the rock samples acquired from them, retain for the most virtually no atmosphere, and lunar materials show strong part characteristics acquired during the first few hundred Ma of depletions of even mildly volatile constituents, not just N2, solar system existence. The Moon can thus provide crucial O , and H O (e.g., Wolf and Anders, 1980). Oxygen fugacity insight into the early development of the Earth, whereas the 2 2 is uniformly very low (BVSP, 1981; Nicholis and Rutherford, terrestrial record of early evolution was largely destroyed by 2009). These idiosyncrasies have direct and far-reaching impli- billions of years of geological activity and the first 500 Ma of cations for mineralogy and geochemical processes. Basically, Earth history are missing altogether. Lunar samples show that they imply that mineralogical (and thus process) diversity is the vast majority of the craters that pervade the Moon’s surface subdued, a factor that to some extent offsets the comparative are at least 3.9 Ga old (Norman et al., 2006). Impact cratering dearth of available data for lunar geochemistry. has been a key influence on the geochemical evolution of the The Moon’s gross physical characteristics play an important Moon, and especially the shallow Moon. The popular giant role. Although exceptionally large (radius¼1738 km) in rela- impact model holds that the Moon originated as a form of tion to its parent planet, the Moon is only 0.012 times as impact spall after a collision between the proto-Earth and a massive as the Earth. By terrestrial standards, pressures inside the doomed Mars-sized (or larger) body (e.g., Cameron and Ward, À Moon are feeble: The upper mantle gradient is 0.005 GPa km 1 1976; Canup, 2004). À (vs. 0.033 GPa km 1 in Earth), and the central pressure is The uppermost few meters of the lunar crust, from which slightly less than 5 GPa. However, lunar interior pressures are all lunar samples derive, are a layer of loose, highly porous, sufficient to significantly influence igneous processes (e.g., fine impact-generated debris – regolith or lunar ‘soil.’ Processes Treatise on Geochemistry 2nd Edition http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-095975-7.00124-8 213 Treatise on Geochemistry, Second Edition, (2014), vol. 2, pp. 213-250 Author's personal copy 214 The Moon peculiar to the surface of an atmosphereless body, that is, effects such as a nearby impact melt (Cushing et al., 1999). But lunar of exposure to solar wind, cosmic rays, and micrometeorite granulitic breccias are almost invariably fine grained, and they bombardment, plus spheroidal glasses formed by in-flight tend to be ‘contaminated’ with meteoritic siderophile elements quenching of pyroclastic or impact-generated melt splashes, all (e.g., Cushing et al., 1999; Lindstrom and Lindstrom, 1986; are evident in any reasonably large sample of lunar soil (Eugster Warren et al., 1991b; however, cf. Treiman et al., 2010), so the et al., 2000; Keller and McKay, 1997). The lunar regolith is precursor rocks were probably mostly shallow impact breccias conventionally envisaged as having a well-defined lower bound- (brecciation and siderophile contamination being concen- ary, typically about 5–10 m below the surface (McKay et al., trated near the surface), and the heat source was probably 1991a); below the regolith is either (basically) intact rock or most often a proximal mass of impact melt. else a somewhat vaguely defined ‘megaregolith’ of loose but not Besides impactites, which are predominant near the bom- so finely ground-up material. Ancient highland terrains tend to barded surface, virtually all other lunar crustal rocks are igne- have roughly two to three times thicker developments of rego- ous or annealed-igneous. The superarid Moon has never lith than maria (Taylor, 1982). produced (by any conventional definition) sedimentary rock All lunar samples are derived through the regolith, so the and most assuredly has never hosted life. Even metamorphism detailed provenance of any individual lunar sample is rarely is of reduced scope, with scant potential for fluid-driven meta- obvious, and for ancient highland samples, never obvious. The somatism. Sampled lunar metamorphism is virtually confined closest approach to in-place sampling of bedrock came on the to impact-shock and thermal effects. Although regional burial Apollo 15 mission, when many tens of clearly comagmatic metamorphism may occur (Stewart, 1975), deeply buried basalts were acquired within meters of their 3.3 Ga ‘young’ materials seldom find their way into the surface regolith, (and thus nearly intact) lava flow, so that their collective prov- whence all samples come. Annealing, among lunar samples, is enance is certain (Ryder and Cox, 1996). Lunar meteorites show more likely a product of simple postigneous slow cooling that impacts occasionally eject rocks clear off the Moon. How- (at significant original depth), or dry baking in proximity to ever, in a statistical way, most lunar rocks, even ancient highland an intrusion, or baking within a zone of impact heating. rocks, are found within a few hundred kilometers of their orig- The Moon’s repertoire of geochemical processes may seem inal locations. This conclusion stems from theoretical modeling limited and weird, but the Moon represents a key link between of cratered landscapes (Melosh, 1989; Shoemaker et al., 1970), the sampled asteroids and the terrestrial planets. Four billion plus observational evidence, such as the sharpness of geochem- years ago, at a time when all but microscopic bits of the ical boundaries between lava-flooded maria and adjacent Earth’s dynamic crust were fated for destruction, most of the highlands (e.g., Li and Mustard, 2000). Moon’s crust had already achieved its final configuration. Besides breaking up rock into loose debris, impacts create The Moon thus represents a unique window into the early important proportions of melt. A trace of melt along grain thermal and geochemical state of a moderately large object boundaries may suffice to produce new rock out of formerly in the inner solar system and into the cratering history of loose debris; the resultant rock would be classified as either near-Earth space. regolith breccia or fragmental breccia, depending upon whether surface fines were important in the precursor matter 2.9.2 The Lunar Geochemical Database (Sto¨ffler et al., 1980). Features diagnostic of a surface compo- nent include a smattering of glass spherules (of order 0.1 mm 2.9.2.1 Artificially Acquired Samples in diameter; typically a mix of endogenous mare-pyroclastic Six Apollo missions acquired a total of 382 kg of rocks and soil.
Recommended publications
  • Volcanic History of the Imbrium Basin: a Close-Up View from the Lunar Rover Yutu
    Volcanic history of the Imbrium basin: A close-up view from the lunar rover Yutu Jinhai Zhanga, Wei Yanga, Sen Hua, Yangting Lina,1, Guangyou Fangb, Chunlai Lic, Wenxi Pengd, Sanyuan Zhue, Zhiping Hef, Bin Zhoub, Hongyu Ling, Jianfeng Yangh, Enhai Liui, Yuchen Xua, Jianyu Wangf, Zhenxing Yaoa, Yongliao Zouc, Jun Yanc, and Ziyuan Ouyangj aKey Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; bInstitute of Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China; cNational Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100012, China; dInstitute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; eKey Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510640, China; fKey Laboratory of Space Active Opto-Electronics Technology, Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200083, China; gThe Fifth Laboratory, Beijing Institute of Space Mechanics & Electricity, Beijing 100076, China; hXi’an Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710119, China; iInstitute of Optics and Electronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610209, China; and jInstitute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Science, Guiyang 550002, China Edited by Mark H. Thiemens, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, and approved March 24, 2015 (received for review February 13, 2015) We report the surface exploration by the lunar rover Yutu that flows in Mare Imbrium was obtained only by remote sensing from landed on the young lava flow in the northeastern part of the orbit. On December 14, 2013, Chang’e-3 successfully landed on the Mare Imbrium, which is the largest basin on the nearside of the young and high-Ti lava flow in the northeastern Mare Imbrium, Moon and is filled with several basalt units estimated to date from about 10 km south from the old low-Ti basalt unit (Fig.
    [Show full text]
  • Geoscience and a Lunar Base
    " t N_iSA Conference Pubhcatmn 3070 " i J Geoscience and a Lunar Base A Comprehensive Plan for Lunar Explora, tion unclas HI/VI 02907_4 at ,unar | !' / | .... ._-.;} / [ | -- --_,,,_-_ |,, |, • • |,_nrrr|l , .l -- - -- - ....... = F _: .......... s_ dd]T_- ! JL --_ - - _ '- "_r: °-__.......... / _r NASA Conference Publication 3070 Geoscience and a Lunar Base A Comprehensive Plan for Lunar Exploration Edited by G. Jeffrey Taylor Institute of Meteoritics University of New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Paul D. Spudis U.S. Geological Survey Branch of Astrogeology Flagstaff, Arizona Proceedings of a workshop sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, D.C., and held at the Lunar and Planetary Institute Houston, Texas August 25-26, 1988 IW_A National Aeronautics and Space Administration Office of Management Scientific and Technical Information Division 1990 PREFACE This report was produced at the request of Dr. Michael B. Duke, Director of the Solar System Exploration Division of the NASA Johnson Space Center. At a meeting of the Lunar and Planetary Sample Team (LAPST), Dr. Duke (at the time also Science Director of the Office of Exploration, NASA Headquarters) suggested that future lunar geoscience activities had not been planned systematically and that geoscience goals for the lunar base program were not articulated well. LAPST is a panel that advises NASA on lunar sample allocations and also serves as an advocate for lunar science within the planetary science community. LAPST took it upon itself to organize some formal geoscience planning for a lunar base by creating a document that outlines the types of missions and activities that are needed to understand the Moon and its geologic history.
    [Show full text]
  • Glossary Glossary
    Glossary Glossary Albedo A measure of an object’s reflectivity. A pure white reflecting surface has an albedo of 1.0 (100%). A pitch-black, nonreflecting surface has an albedo of 0.0. The Moon is a fairly dark object with a combined albedo of 0.07 (reflecting 7% of the sunlight that falls upon it). The albedo range of the lunar maria is between 0.05 and 0.08. The brighter highlands have an albedo range from 0.09 to 0.15. Anorthosite Rocks rich in the mineral feldspar, making up much of the Moon’s bright highland regions. Aperture The diameter of a telescope’s objective lens or primary mirror. Apogee The point in the Moon’s orbit where it is furthest from the Earth. At apogee, the Moon can reach a maximum distance of 406,700 km from the Earth. Apollo The manned lunar program of the United States. Between July 1969 and December 1972, six Apollo missions landed on the Moon, allowing a total of 12 astronauts to explore its surface. Asteroid A minor planet. A large solid body of rock in orbit around the Sun. Banded crater A crater that displays dusky linear tracts on its inner walls and/or floor. 250 Basalt A dark, fine-grained volcanic rock, low in silicon, with a low viscosity. Basaltic material fills many of the Moon’s major basins, especially on the near side. Glossary Basin A very large circular impact structure (usually comprising multiple concentric rings) that usually displays some degree of flooding with lava. The largest and most conspicuous lava- flooded basins on the Moon are found on the near side, and most are filled to their outer edges with mare basalts.
    [Show full text]
  • The Association Between the Lunar Cycle and Patterns
    THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE LUNAR CYCLE AND PATTERNS OF PATIENT PRESENTATION TO THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT. Grant Dudley Futcher Student number: 7709742 A research report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine in Emergency Medicine. Johannesburg, 2015 i DECLARATION I, Grant Dudley Futcher, declare that this research report is my own work. It is being submitted for the degree of Master of Science in Medicine (Emergency Medicine) in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination at this or any other University. Signed on 25th day of August 2015 ii DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my children, Charis, Luke and Jarryd, who have patiently endured their father’s choice of medical discipline. iii PUBLICATIONS ARISING FROM THIS STUDY Nil iv ABSTRACT Aim: To determine any association between the lunar synodic or anomalistic months and the nature and volume of emergency department patient consultations and hospital admissions from the emergency department (ED). Design: A retrospective, descriptive study. Setting: All South African EDs of a private hospital group. Patients: All patients consulted from 01 January 2005 to 31 December 2010. Methods: Data was extracted from monthly records and statistically evaluated, controlling for calendric variables. Lunar variables were modelled with volumes of differing priority of hospital admissions and consultation categories including; trauma, medical, paediatric, work injuries, obstetrics and gynaecology, intentional self harm, sexual assault, dog bites and total ED consultations. Main Results: No significant differences were found in all anomalistic and most synodic models with the consultation categories.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of the Mesosiderite-Diogenite Connection and an Impact Model for the Genesis of Mesosiderites
    45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014) 2554.pdf ASSESSMENT OF THE MESOSIDERITE-DIOGENITE CONNECTION AND AN IMPACT MODEL FOR THE GENESIS OF MESOSIDERITES. T. E. Bunch1,3, A. J. Irving2,3, P. H. Schultz4, J. H. Wittke1, S. M. Ku- ehner2, J. I. Goldstein5 and P. P. Sipiera3,6 1Dept. of Geology, SESES, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011 ([email protected]), 2Dept. of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 3Planetary Studies Foundation, Galena, IL, 4Dept. of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI, 5Dept. of Geolo- gy, University of Massachusetts, Amherts, MA, 6Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL. Introduction: Among well-recognized meteorite 34) is the most abundant silicate mineral and in some classes, the mesosiderites are perhaps the most com- clasts contains inclusions of FeS, tetrataenite, merrillite plex and petrogenetically least understood. Previous and silica. Three of the ten norite clasts contain a few workers have contributed important information about tiny grains of olivine (Fa24-32). A single, fine-grained “classic” falls and Antarctic finds, and have proposed breccia clast was found in NWA 5312 (see Figure 2). several different models for mesosiderite genesis [1]. Unlike the case of pallasites, the co-occurrence of met- al and silicates (predominantly orthopyroxene and cal- cic plagioclase) in mesosiderites is inconsistent with a single-stage “igneous” history, and instead seems to demand admixture of at least two separate compo- nents. Here we review the models in light of detailed ex- amination of multiple specimens from a very large mesosiderite strewnfield in Northwest Africa. Many specimens (totaling at least 80 kilograms) from this area (probably in Algeria) have been classified sepa- rately by us and others; however, in most cases the Figure 1.
    [Show full text]
  • Assessment of Spectral Properties of Apollo 12 Landing Site Yann Chemin1, Ian Crawford2, Peter Grindrod2, and Louise Alexander2
    Assessment of spectral properties of Apollo 12 landing site Yann Chemin1, Ian Crawford2, Peter Grindrod2, and Louise Alexander2 1Student, Birkbeck Colllege, University of London 2Birkbeck Colllege, University of London Corresponding author: Yann Chemin1 Email address: [email protected] ABSTRACT The geology and mineralogy of the Apollo 12 landing site has been the subject of recent studies that this research attempts to complement from a remote sensing point of view using the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) sensor data, onboard the Chandrayaan-1 lunar orbiter. It is a higher spatial-spectral resolution sensor than the Clementine UVVis sensor and gives the opportunity to study the lunar surface with a comparatively more detailed spectral resolution. We used ISIS and GRASS GIS to study the M3 data. The M3 signatures are showing a monotonic featureless increment, with very low reflectance, suggesting a mature regolith. The regolith maturity is splitting the landing site in a younger Northwest and older Southeast. The mineral identification using the lunar sample spectra from within the Relab database found some similarity to a basaltic rock/glass mix. The spectrum features of clinopyroxene have been found in the Copernican rays and at the landing site. Lateral mixing increases FeO content away from the central part of the ray. The presence of clinopyroxene in the pigeonite basalt in the stratigraphy of the landing site brings forth some complexity in differentiating the Copernican ray’s clinopyroxene from the local source, as the spectra are twins but for their vertical shift in reflectance, reducing away from the central part of the ray. Spatial variations in mineralogy were not found mostly because of the pixel size compared to the landing site area.
    [Show full text]
  • Sky and Telescope
    SkyandTelescope.com The Lunar 100 By Charles A. Wood Just about every telescope user is familiar with French comet hunter Charles Messier's catalog of fuzzy objects. Messier's 18th-century listing of 109 galaxies, clusters, and nebulae contains some of the largest, brightest, and most visually interesting deep-sky treasures visible from the Northern Hemisphere. Little wonder that observing all the M objects is regarded as a virtual rite of passage for amateur astronomers. But the night sky offers an object that is larger, brighter, and more visually captivating than anything on Messier's list: the Moon. Yet many backyard astronomers never go beyond the astro-tourist stage to acquire the knowledge and understanding necessary to really appreciate what they're looking at, and how magnificent and amazing it truly is. Perhaps this is because after they identify a few of the Moon's most conspicuous features, many amateurs don't know where Many Lunar 100 selections are plainly visible in this image of the full Moon, while others require to look next. a more detailed view, different illumination, or favorable libration. North is up. S&T: Gary The Lunar 100 list is an attempt to provide Moon lovers with Seronik something akin to what deep-sky observers enjoy with the Messier catalog: a selection of telescopic sights to ignite interest and enhance understanding. Presented here is a selection of the Moon's 100 most interesting regions, craters, basins, mountains, rilles, and domes. I challenge observers to find and observe them all and, more important, to consider what each feature tells us about lunar and Earth history.
    [Show full text]
  • 8. Projectile ˜˜˜
    8. Projectile ˜˜˜ Meteoritic remnants of the impacting asteroid that produced Barringer Crater littered the landscape when exploration began ~115 years ago. As described in Chapter 1, meteoritic irons are what initially captured Foote’s interest and spurred Barringer’s interest in a possibly rich natural source of native metal. After Foote’s description was published, samples were collected by F. W. Volz at a nearby trading post and sold widely. Gilbert (1896) estimated that 10 tons of meteoritic debris had already been recovered by the time of his visit. Similarly, Barringer (1905) estimated that 10 to 15 tons of it were circulating around the world by the time his exploration work began. Fortunately, he tried to document the geographic and mass distribution of that debris in a detailed map, which is reproduced in Fig. 8.1. The map indicates that meteoritic irons were recovered from distances approaching 10 km. Gilbert (1896) apparently recovered a sample nearly 13 km beyond the crater rim. A lot of the meteoritic material was oxidized. It is sometimes simply called oxidized iron, but large masses are also called shale balls. A concentrated deposit of small oxidized iron fragments was found northeast of the crater, although those types of fragments are distributed in all directions around the crater. The current estimate of the recovered meteoritic iron mass is 30 tons (Nininger, 1949; Grady, 2000), although this is a highly uncertain number. Specimens were transported in pre-historical times and have been found scattered throughout Arizona (see, for example, Wasson, 1968). Specimens have also been illicitly removed in recent times, without any documentation of the locations or masses recovered.
    [Show full text]
  • March 21–25, 2016
    FORTY-SEVENTH LUNAR AND PLANETARY SCIENCE CONFERENCE PROGRAM OF TECHNICAL SESSIONS MARCH 21–25, 2016 The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center The Woodlands, Texas INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT Universities Space Research Association Lunar and Planetary Institute National Aeronautics and Space Administration CONFERENCE CO-CHAIRS Stephen Mackwell, Lunar and Planetary Institute Eileen Stansbery, NASA Johnson Space Center PROGRAM COMMITTEE CHAIRS David Draper, NASA Johnson Space Center Walter Kiefer, Lunar and Planetary Institute PROGRAM COMMITTEE P. Doug Archer, NASA Johnson Space Center Nicolas LeCorvec, Lunar and Planetary Institute Katherine Bermingham, University of Maryland Yo Matsubara, Smithsonian Institute Janice Bishop, SETI and NASA Ames Research Center Francis McCubbin, NASA Johnson Space Center Jeremy Boyce, University of California, Los Angeles Andrew Needham, Carnegie Institution of Washington Lisa Danielson, NASA Johnson Space Center Lan-Anh Nguyen, NASA Johnson Space Center Deepak Dhingra, University of Idaho Paul Niles, NASA Johnson Space Center Stephen Elardo, Carnegie Institution of Washington Dorothy Oehler, NASA Johnson Space Center Marc Fries, NASA Johnson Space Center D. Alex Patthoff, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Cyrena Goodrich, Lunar and Planetary Institute Elizabeth Rampe, Aerodyne Industries, Jacobs JETS at John Gruener, NASA Johnson Space Center NASA Johnson Space Center Justin Hagerty, U.S. Geological Survey Carol Raymond, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lindsay Hays, Jet Propulsion Laboratory Paul Schenk,
    [Show full text]
  • Testing Hypotheses for the Origin of Steep Slope of Lunar Size-Frequency Distribution for Small Craters
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Springer - Publisher Connector Earth Planets Space, 55, 39–51, 2003 Testing hypotheses for the origin of steep slope of lunar size-frequency distribution for small craters Noriyuki Namiki1 and Chikatoshi Honda2 1Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Kyushu University, Hakozaki 6-10-1, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8581, Japan 2The Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Yoshinodai 3-1-1, Sagamihara 229-8510, Japan (Received June 13, 2001; Revised June 24, 2002; Accepted January 6, 2003) The crater size-frequency distribution of lunar maria is characterized by the change in slope of the population between 0.3 and 4 km in crater diameter. The origin of the steep segment in the distribution is not well understood. Nonetheless, craters smaller than a few km in diameter are widely used to estimate the crater retention age for areas so small that the number of larger craters is statistically insufficient. Future missions to the moon, which will obtain high resolution images, will provide a new, large data set of small craters. Thus it is important to review current hypotheses for their distributions before future missions are launched. We examine previous and new arguments and data bearing on the admixture of endogenic and secondary craters, horizontal heterogeneity of the substratum, and the size-frequency distribution of the primary production function. The endogenic crater and heterogeneous substratum hypotheses are seen to have little evidence in their favor, and can be eliminated. The primary production hypothesis fails to explain a wide variation of the size-frequency distribution of Apollo panoramic photographs.
    [Show full text]
  • Workshop on Moon in Transition: Apollo 14, Kreep, and Evolved Lunar Rocks
    WORKSHOP ON MOON IN TRANSITION: APOLLO 14, KREEP, AND EVOLVED LUNAR ROCKS (NASA-CR-I"'-- N90-I_02o rRAN31TION: APJLLN l_p KRFEP, ANu _VOLVFD LUNAR ROCKS (Lunar and Pl_net3ry !nst.) I_7 p C_CL O3B Unclas G3/91 0253133 LPI Technical Report Number 89-03 UNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE 3303 NASA ROAD 1 HOUSTON, TEXAS 77058-4399 7 WORKSHOP ON MOON IN TRANSITION: APOLLO 14, KREEP, AND EVOLVED LUNAR ROCKS Edited by G. J. Taylor and P. H. Warren Sponsored by Lunar and Planetary Institute NASA Johnson Space Center November 14-16, 1988 Houston, Texas Lunar and Planetary Institute 330 ?_NASA Road 1 Houston, Texas 77058-4399 LPI Technical Report Number 89-03 Compiled in 1989 by the LUNAR AND PLANETARY INSTITUTE The Institute is operated by Universities Space Research Association under Contract NASW-4066 with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Material in this document may be copied without restraint for Library, abstract service, educational, or personal research purposes; however, republication of any portion requires the written permission of the authors as well as appropriate acknowledgment of this publication. This report may be cited as: Taylor G. J. and Warren PI H., eds. (1989) Workshop on Moon in Transition: Apo{l_ 14 KREEP, and Evolved Lunar Rocks. [PI Tech. Rpt. 89-03. Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston. 156 pp. Papers in this report may be cited as: Author A. A. (1989) Title of paper. In W_nkshop on Moon in Transition: Ap_llo 14, KREEP, and Evolved Lunar Rocks (G. J. Taylor and P. H. Warren, eds.), pp. xx-yy. LPI Tech. Rpt.
    [Show full text]
  • GEOLOGY THEME STUDY Page 1
    NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARKS Dr. Harry A. Butowsky GEOLOGY THEME STUDY Page 1 Geology National Historic Landmark Theme Study (Draft 1990) Introduction by Dr. Harry A. Butowsky Historian, History Division National Park Service, Washington, DC The Geology National Historic Landmark Theme Study represents the second phase of the National Park Service's thematic study of the history of American science. Phase one of this study, Astronomy and Astrophysics: A National Historic Landmark Theme Study was completed in l989. Subsequent phases of the science theme study will include the disciplines of biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics and other related sciences. The Science Theme Study is being completed by the National Historic Landmarks Survey of the National Park Service in compliance with the requirements of the Historic Sites Act of l935. The Historic Sites Act established "a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the American people." Under the terms of the Act, the service is required to survey, study, protect, preserve, maintain, or operate nationally significant historic buildings, sites & objects. The National Historic Landmarks Survey of the National Park Service is charged with the responsibility of identifying America's nationally significant historic property. The survey meets this obligation through a comprehensive process involving thematic study of the facets of American History. In recent years, the survey has completed National Historic Landmark theme studies on topics as diverse as the American space program, World War II in the Pacific, the US Constitution, recreation in the United States and architecture in the National Parks.
    [Show full text]