Horizontal transport of the regolith, modification of features, and erosion rates on the lunar surface

Arvidson, R. E.; Drozd, R. J.; Hohenberg, C. M.; Morgan, Charles G.; Poupeau, Gérard

doi:10.1007/bf00567508

Cited by 72 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Thus our results summarized in Table 5 also indicate that the significant lateral mixing over the critical distance cannot occur in this regime, which is consistent with previous predictions [Arvidson et al, 1975]. Table 4, and squares represent estimates for Apollo 12.…”

Section: Lateral Mixing Efficiencysupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Pike [1974] argued that the value for h can take 0.34 for R 0 taking 22.84 or 35.05, 0.343 for R 0 taking 31.1, and 1.0 for R 0 taking 0.033. For small craters the value for h can take 0.94 and R 0 0.10 [Arvidson et al, 1975]. For experimental craters, Stöffler et al [1975] showed that h equals 1 and R 0 0.06.…”

Section: Ejecta Distributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The new proposed model differs from previous models and has the capability to accommodate a wide range of exponents for the power law describing the crater size frequency distribution. The model by Arvidson et al [1975] used the power law with the exponent 3.4 to describe the crater size frequency, and would diverge when the exponents less than 3 were used. The specific objective of the paper is to show (1) how lateral mixing efficiency depends on the crater ejecta thickness decay and the size frequency distribution and (2) how 20-30% of exotic components across 100 km or more can be likely created by lateral mixing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On lateral mixing efficiency of lunar regolith

Mustard

2005

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] To reexamine the potential for lateral mixing over large distances (>100 km) by impact craters, a mathematical model utilizing the stable probability distribution is proposed for estimating lateral mixing efficiency on the Moon. The proposed model divides material mixing into shallow slope and steep slope regimes. Mixing in the shallow slope regime conforms to the condition that the exponent of the power law describing lunar crater size frequency is larger than the exponent of the power law describing the rim thickness plus 2; otherwise the mixing is called the steep slope regime. The model suggests that in the shallow slope regime, lateral mixing on the Moon is efficient enough to deliver 20-30% exotic components over distances greater than 100 km (e.g., highland material to the mare). The model indicates that lateral mixing conforming to the steep slope regime is not efficient if linear addition of ejecta deposits is assumed because in this regime, impact cratering is driven by small craters reworking lunar surface, and the addition of crater ejecta is an invalid assumption. If the result of the proposed model for the shallow slope regime is applied to regolith layers below the reworked zone, a significant number of ''exotic'' components is predicted.

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Section: Lateral Mixing Efficiencysupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Ejecta Distributionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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On lateral mixing efficiency of lunar regolith

Mustard

2005

J. Geophys. Res.

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“…Given the size, distribution, and the early formation of these large impact structures, they are thought to have played an important part of the geologic evolution of the lunar crust (e.g., Moore et al 1974;Wilhelms 1987;Wieczorek and Phillips 1999;Jolliff et al 2000;Haskin et al 2003b). Because of their large sizes, each basin excavated and distributed a large amount of material across the entire Moon (Short and Foreman 1972;McGetchin et al 1973;Pike 1974;Arvidson et al 1975;Head et al 1975;Haskin 1998;Wieczorek and Phillips 1999). Significant lateral transport by basins is believed to have occurred for locations proximal to the nearside basins based on the composition of materials sampled at the Apollo and Luna landing sites (e.g., Ryder and Wood 1977;Swindle et al 1991;Korotev 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The lunar‐wide effects of basin ejecta distribution on the early megaregolith

Petro

Pieters

2008

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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Abstract-The lunar surface is marked by at least 43 large and ancient impact basins, each of which ejected a large amount of material that modified the areas surrounding each basin. We present an analysis of the effects of basin formation on the entire lunar surface using a previously defined basin ejecta model. Our modeling includes several simplifying assumptions in order to quantify two aspects of basin formation across the entire lunar surface: 1) the cumulative amount of material distributed across the surface, and 2) the depth to which that basin material created a well-mixed megaregolith. We find that the asymmetric distribution of large basins across the Moon creates a considerable nearside-farside dichotomy in both the cumulative amount of basin ejecta and the depth of the megaregolith. Basins significantly modified a large portion of the nearside while the farside experienced relatively small degrees of basin modification following the formation of the large South Pole-Aitken basin. The regions of the Moon with differing degrees of modification by basins correspond to regions thought to contain geochemical signatures remnant of early lunar crustal processes, indicating that the degree of basin modification of the surface directly influenced the distribution of the geochemical terranes observed today. Additionally, the modification of the lunar surface by basins suggests that the provenance of lunar highland samples currently in research collections is not representative of the entire lunar crust. Identifying locations on the lunar surface with unique modification histories will aid in selecting locations for future sample collection.

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“…Lunar craters with diameters of 50-100 m or smaller, and fresh craters up to 400 m in diameter are Copernican in age 12 , estimated to be ∼800 ± 15 Myr at most (defined by the age of Copernicus crater) 13 . Shallow depressions in the lunar regolith are estimated to fill in at a rate of 5 ± 3 cm Myr −1 , based on analysis of boulder tracks 14 . At this rate of in-filling, graben formed in regolith with depths of ∼1 m would be expected to disappear in ∼12.5-50 Myr.…”

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confidence: 99%

Recent extensional tectonics on the Moon revealed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

et al. 2012

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Large-scale expressions of lunar tectonics-contractional wrinkle ridges and extensional rilles or graben-are directly related to stresses induced by mare basalt-filled basins 1,2 . Basin-related extensional tectonic activity ceased about 3.6 Gyr ago, whereas contractional tectonics continued until about 1.2 Gyr ago 2 . In the lunar highlands, relatively young contractional lobate scarps, less than 1 Gyr in age, were first identified in Apollo-era photographs 3 . However, no evidence of extensional landforms was found beyond the influence of mare basalt-filled basins and floor-fractured craters. Here we identify previously undetected small-scale graben in the farside highlands and in the mare basalts in images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. Crosscut impact craters with diameters as small as about 10 m, a lack of superposed craters, and graben depths as shallow as ∼1 m suggest these pristine-appearing graben are less than 50 Myr old. Thus, the young graben indicate recent extensional tectonic activity on the Moon where extensional stresses locally exceeded compressional stresses. We propose that these findings may be inconsistent with a totally molten early Moon, given that thermal history models for this scenario predict a high level of late-stage compressional stress [4][5][6] that might be expected to completely suppress the formation of graben.Basin-localized lunar tectonics resulted in both basin-radial and basin-concentric graben and wrinkle ridges. Typically, basinlocalized graben are found near basin margins and in the adjacent highlands whereas wrinkle ridges are restricted to the basin interior (ref. 2, plate 6) (Supplementary Note S1). The dominant contractional tectonic landform found outside of mare basins are lobate scarps 2,3 . These small-scale scarps are thought to be the surface expression of thrust faults 3 . Crosscutting relations with Copernican-age, small-diameter impact craters indicate the lobate scarps are relatively young, less than 1 Gyr old (ref. 3).Small-scale graben revealed in 0.5-2.0 m/pixel Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) images are often associated with lobate scarps (Supplementary Note S2). These graben were first found in the back-limb area of the Lee-Lincoln scarp 3,7 (∼20.3• N, 30.5• E) and are spatially correlated with a narrow rise along the crest of the scarp face and the elevated back-limb terrain 3 . Newly detected graben found in the back-limb terrain of the Madler scarp (∼10.8• S, 31.8 • E; Supplementary Fig. S1) are located ∼2.5 km from the scarp face (Fig. 1a). The orientation of these graben is roughly perpendicular to the trend of the scarp. The dimensions of the graben vary, with the largest being ∼40 m wide and ∼500 m long. Graben in the back-limb area of the Pasteur scarp (∼8.6• S, 100.6 • E; Supplementary Fig. S1) are ∼1.2 km from the scarp face (Fig. 1b). Unlike the Madler graben, the orientation of the Pasteur graben are subparallel to the scarp and extend for ∼1.5 km, with the largest ∼300 m in length and 2...

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Horizontal transport of the regolith, modification of features, and erosion rates on the lunar surface

Cited by 72 publications

References 10 publications

On lateral mixing efficiency of lunar regolith

On lateral mixing efficiency of lunar regolith

The lunar‐wide effects of basin ejecta distribution on the early megaregolith

Recent extensional tectonics on the Moon revealed by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera

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