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Home , Mare Cognitum

A Comprehensive Inventory of Mare Ages and Quantifiable Lunar Morphologies Related to Dominant Surface Features on Earth Ricardo Delgado1, Lauren Hernandez1, Suzi Romero1, Kraig Orcutt2, Santiago Vallejo1 1 Waco Independent School District 2 Academy Independent School District

Introduction Introduction Methodology, cont. Our research involved creating a In following the goals for the 2007 Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon: Final We chose to use radiometric dating data if it was available and then use crater counting comprehensive list of numerous mare basalt Report, we can use the surface features of the Moon to bettertter understand Earth’sEarth s planetaryplanetary data because we could get a lot of data for a wider range of sites, and this would help us be ages, comparing Moon characteristics to characteristics. able to pick a site that would be both interesting and useful. dominant features on the Earth, and identifying various lunar sites that can fill in the gaps in Quakes Impact Cratering Because we found that some mare had numerous age data and other mare had very age diversity of basalt samples. limited age data, we took the mean of the data for each mare and we also included high and low age ranges for each mare in our results. After doing all of this, we mapped the data in a When the Moon was initially created it color-coded pictorial representation illustrating the relative ages of the 16 lunar mare that we was made completely of hot molten lava. As it found data. This helped us visualize the proximity of aged mare to each other. When we

began to cool, lighter minerals like anorthosite Buzz Aldrin deploys a seismometer in the This seismometer records seismic waves generated by graphed the mare age data, we noticed that the age groups were concentrated into 4 age Sea of Tranquility (Source: NASA) Earthquakes (Source: Arizona State University) and plagioclase feldspar rose to the top and Simple Lunar Crater (Source: NASA) Impact Cratering (Source: D. Roddy, LPI) categories. actually floated on the magma as the outer Erosion Exploration sites should be selected that can fill in the gaps in diversity of lunar samples. crust cooled. Volcanism Mission plans for each human landing should include the collection and return of at least 100 kg The mantle is composed of heavier of rocks from diverse locations within the landing region (2007 Scientific Context for Exploration minerals like norite, olivine, and the of the Moon: Final Report). pyroxenes. These mafic rocks are rich in Because we learned that Lunar volcanism provides a window into the thermal and magnesium and ferric or iron. When the Moon The first footprints on the Moon will be there for a million Air, water, and ice erosion as well as plate movement years. There is no wind to blow them away (Source: NASA) change the Earth’s land features (Source: cosmicpair.com) Lunar rille (Source: NASA) Mauna Loa braided lava channel (Source: USGS) was relatively young, these minerals sank to compositional evolution of the Moon, we found that more samples of the youngest and oldest the bottom and crystallized slowly as the Moon mare will help to address the question of how our solar system and our own planet was cooled. created and changed and give more information about how basaltic processes have evolved over time. We therefore charted the ages of the maria using as much of the available One of the goals of thee 2007 ScientificScientific Lunar Chronology radio-isotope and crater counting data as we could access. Context for Exploration of thehe Moon: Final Gerhard Neukum developed a method Report is to understand howw the Moon can for using radioisotope data from lunar rock

Number of Name Age of Mare Low Range High Range Mean help us make analogies aboutout the evolution ofof Data Used samples to calibrate crater counting data. This 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown the Earth and other planets in our solar 1 3.1 - 3.9 b.y 3.1 b.y. 3.9 b.y. 3.5 b.y method is called the Neukum Curve. Mare Cognitum 1 3.3 - 3.7 b.y. 3.3 b.y. 3.7 b.y. 3.5 b.y. 1.7 b.y. , 2.5 b.y. , 3.1 b.y., 3.2 b.y. , 3.2 b.y., 3.2 b.y. , 3.3 b.y. , 15 1.7 b.y. 4.0 b.y. 3.2 b.y system. Because there aren’t active 3.4 b.y., 3.4 b.y., 3.4 - 3.6 b.y. , 3.5 b.y. , 3.7 b.y. , 3.7 b.y., 3.8 - 3.9 b.y., 4.0 b.y. 3.3 b.y. , .4 b.y. , 3.4 b.y. , 3.4 b.y. , 3.4 b.y., 3.5 b.y. , 3.6 b.y. , Researchers like H. Hiesinger, C. Pieters, J. 9 3.3 b.y. 4.0 b.y. 3.5 b.y. 3.9 b.y. , 4.0 b.y volcanoes on the Moon anymore we believe Mare Frigorios 2 2.6 - 3.8 b.y. , 3.2 - 3.6 b.y 2.6 b.y 3.8 b.y. 3.3 b.y. III, and R. Jaumann use the Neukum 1 3.4 - 4.0 b.y. 3.4 b.y. 4.0 b.y. 3.6 b.y. 1 3.0 - 3.8 b.y. 3.0 b.y. 3.8 b.y. 3.3 b.y. that the Moon’s interior is cool now. From this 5 2.0 - 3.6 b.y. , 3.3 b.y., 3.3 b.y. , 3.8 - 3.9 b.y., 3.9 b.y. 2.0 b.y. 3.9 b.y. 3.4 b.y. Curve to correlate crater frequencies of the 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown observation we can draw conclusions that the 1 3.5 - 3.9 b.y. 3.5 b.y. 3.9 b.y. 3.7 b.y. and Luna landing sites with the 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 4 3.9 b.y. 3.7 - 3.9 b.y., 3.9 - 4.6 b.y. , 4.1 b.y. 3.9 b.y. 4.1 b.y. 4.0 b.y. Earth is also cooling, but because we 1 2.8 - 3.7 b.y. 2.8 b.y. 3.7 b.y. 3.2 b.y. radiometric ages of the lunar rock samples. 2 3.2 - 3.9 b.y. , 3.7 - 3.9 b.y. 3.2 b.y. 3.9 b.y. 3.5 b.y. 2.4 - 3.8 b.y. , 3.7 b.y., 3.8 b.y., 3.8 b.y., 3.9 b.y. , 3.9 b.y. , 10 2.4 b.y. 4.3 b.y. 3.8 b.y. 3.9 - 3.7 b.y., 4.0 b.y. , 4.1 b.y. , 4.3 b.y. experience plate movement, Earthquakes, and 1 1.0 - 3.2 b.y. 1.0 b.y. 3.2 b.y. 2.0 b.y. This method can be applied to other areas of 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown 3.4 - 4.2 b.y. , 3.5 b.y., 3.6 b.y., 3.6 - 3.8 b.y., 3.6 - 3.9 b.y. , 9 3.4 b.y. 4.2 b.y. 3.7 b.y. 3.6 - 3.9 b.y., 3.7 b.y., 3.8 b.y., 3.9 b.y. volcanoes we know that the Earth’s interior is 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown the Moon from which we do not have actual 0 Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown still very active. 5 3.1 - 3.3 b.y. , 3.1 - 3.3 b.y., 3.2 b.y. , 3.2 b.y., 3.2 b.y. 3.1 b.y. 3.3 b.y. 3.2 b.y. rock samples. (Source: H. Hiesinger et al., Ages of Mare basalts cover about 17% of the Mare Basalts on the Lunar Nearside) Key: Youngest Mare, mean age 2.0 b.y. Young Mare, mean age 3.2-3.4 b.y. Middle Age Mare, mean age 3.5-3.7 b.y. Oldest Mare, mean age 3.8-4.0 b.y. lunar surface and are visible from Earth as dark areas on the Moon. There are 23 mare on the Moon’s surface, 19 appear on the near side. Most mare basalts were formed during the late Imbrium Period (3.2-3.9 Ga). Methodology Conclusions Simple Craters were created when some In order to better understand the distribution of the oldest and youngest mare, a list of Tycho is about 100 kilometers wide. Using this type of projectile or impactor collided with the Schematic cross-section of a simple crater. D is the diameter and da and dt are the depths of the apparent and lunar exploration sites were identified that allow for the retrieval of different ages of lunar mare scale and what we know about robotic retrieval lunar surface. The impact created shock true crater, respectively. (Stoffler et al). basalt samples. This would involve extracting calibrated basalt mare ages from peer reviewed technologies, we hypothesized that the distance between waves that resulted in cracks or fissures in the 2 articles and determining the vicinity of the sites by hypothesizing the distance astronauts could exploration sites could be up to 300 kilometers. 3 crust which allowed the molten lava to fill the basin from the bottom creating a smooth surface travel away from their landing site. covering the crater and creating what we call mare. Other impactors hit the smooth mare either Using the rule of limiting travel around sites to 300 before or after the basalt cooled. In following the goals for the 2007 Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon: Final kilometers and with the goal of determining exploration 1 Report, we can use the surface features of the Moon to better understand Earth’s planetary sites that can fill in the gaps in diversity of lunar samples, characteristics. We extracted calibrated mare ages from more than 75 peer reviewed articles we made suggestions for the next lunar exploration sites which relied on scientific results from highly accepted papers that were written by well-known based on our research. scientific experts in this field. Our number one exploration choice is Fecunditatis which is a middle aged mare and is Research Problem We made a chart of all 23 mare and located them on the nearside or the far side. We also close to: Smythii which is the youngest and has interesting anomalies in the data, Nectaris In order to better understand the created a list of interesting facts about the mare like the composition, density, impact history, which is one of the two oldest mare and Crisium which has the largest ranges in data distribution of the oldest and youngest mare, a how the Moon has evolved, and how all of this relates to the Earth and other planets in our solar Our second exploration target is Serenitatis which has the 2nd oldest mean age and is list of lunar exploration sites were identified system. Next we began researching the different methods of determining mare ages. After close to: Imbrium which is categorized as young, Tranquilitatis which is late middle aged (even that allow for the retrieval of different ages of studying the work of leading lunar geologists, engineers, and physicists, we began to evaluate though we have retrieved samples from this site before it is still a worthwhile site), and Anguis lunar mare basalt samples. the processes that was used to determine the ages and which methods were most reliable. because minimal data is available for this area This would involve extracting calibrated Isotope radiometric dating is the most accurate way to determine the age, but there is not Our third choice as a site of exploration interest is the area between Vaporum and basalt mare ages from peer reviewed articles enough data because it can only be gathered from physical samples of lunar exploration sites. Insularum. These are is probably middle aged and is close to: Imbrium which is classified as and determining the vicinity of the sites by Crater counting is accurate relative to the precision of the counters and the actual relationship young, Cognitum which is middle aged, and Serentatis which is one of the two oldest mare. We hypothesizing the distance astronauts could between the number of craters and the age of the mare. Spectrometry is the least accurate have minimal crater counting data from the area between Vaporum and Insularum which would travel away from their landing site. method and there isn’t enough data because the data has to be taken from fly-bys when the light is at a specific angle for the proper reflectance. be an additional reason that this area would be of interest.

In addition to the different methods that were used to determine mare basalt ages, we Comparison to the Constellation Regions of Interest: First choice - Mare Smythii is a tier 1 target and Mare Crisium is a tier 2 target. Second choice - landing site (the also researched the diameter of the mare, which mare were Apollo or Luna landing sites, the actual and relative ages of mare, the method of determining the age, and the source of the data. Imbrium basin) and Mare Tranquillitatis are tier 1 targets. Third choice - Apollo 15 landing site (the Imbrium basin) is a tier 1 target.

Acknowledgments Bibliography

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