Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton–Belkovich

Siegler, M. A.; Franco, Katelyn Lehman; Lehman-Franco, Katelyn; Andrews-Hanna, J. C.; Economos, Rita C.; Clair, Michael St.; Million, Chase; Head, J. W.; Glotch, T. D.; White, Mackenzie

doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06183-5

Cited by 12 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…(2020) are even more Si‐rich and are consistent with immiscible Si‐rich melts. Lunar silicic volcanic domes (e.g., Gruithuisen Domes) have been identified via orbital remote sensing (Glotch et al., 2010; Jolliff et al., 2011) along with their plutonic roots (Siegler et al., 2023). Additionally, experimental simulations of lunar magma ocean crystallization document the stabilization of a silica phase during the late stages of primary crustal genesis (Charlier et al., 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact origin of lunar zircon melt inclusions in Apollo impact melt breccia 14311

Crow,

Tong,

Erickson

et al. 2024

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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Investigations of trapped melt inclusions in minerals can yield insights into the compositions and conditions of parent magmas. These insights are particularly important for detrital grains like many of the lunar zircons found in samples returned by the Apollo missions. However, unlike their terrestrial counterparts, lunar zircons have potentially been exposed to billions of years of impact bombardment. Samples from terrestrial impact structures and impact shock experiments have revealed that deformation during an impact event produces melt and glass blebs that can mimic igneous melt inclusions in both morphology and composition. We have undertaken a geochemical and textural investigation of zircons from Apollo impact melt breccia 14311 to assess their formation mechanisms. The association of trapped melts with shock microtwins and monomineralic melt compositions suggests some inclusions formed as a result of the high pressures and temperatures of impact shock. All other inclusions in this study are associated with curviplanar features, planar features, crystal plastic deformation, or embayments (large regions in contact with adjacent melts or minerals) suggesting that they are not igneous melt inclusions. While these textures can be produced in tectonic environments, impacts are a likely formation mechanism since impacts are the main driver of tectonics on the Moon. The results of this study demonstrate that a combination of textural and compositional analyses can be employed distinguish between igneous melt inclusions and melt blebs in zircons from impact environments.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact origin of lunar zircon melt inclusions in Apollo impact melt breccia 14311

Crow,

Tong,

Erickson

et al. 2024

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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“…The lunar surface can be broken down into two main geologic provinces: the feldspathic lunar highlands which cover 80% of the lunar surface and the basaltic lunar mare (Haskin and Warren, 1991;Spudis and Pieters, 1991;Head and Wilson, 1992;Jolliff et al, 2000). Aside from the lunar highlands and mare, there are more less commonly observed geologic domains including silicic volcanic features that are similar to terrestrial rhyolitic domes (Head and McCord, 1978;Hagerty et al, 2006;Siegler et al, 2023) as well as pyroclastic deposits (Gaddis et al, 2003;Gustafson et al, 2012;Trang et al, 2017). The lunar highlands comprise the original crust formed through differentiation during the formation of the Moon and are dominantly composed of anorthosite and similar lithologies (Crites and Lucey, 2015;Taylor et al, 2019).…”

Section: Lunar Regolith Simulantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of planetary regolith simulants for the research and development of space resource technologies

Long-Fox,

Britt

2023

Front. Space Technol.

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Human planetary exploration and colonization efforts are reliant on the ability to safely interact with planetary surfaces and to leverage local regolith as a resource. The high-cost and risk-intensive nature of establishing planetary infrastructure and resource utilization facilities necessitates risk reduction through laboratory-based research and development of space resource acquisition, processing, and extraction technologies using appropriate, well-characterized, mineral-based regolith simulants. Such simulants enable the planetary exploration and resource utilization communities to test large-scale technologies and methodologies for a relatively low cost as an alternative to scarce and expensive returned samples. The fidelity of a regolith simulant for any application is, in part, determined by the mineralogical composition and particle size distribution. The importance of composition is well established for in situ resource utilization studies sensitive to geochemical properties but tends to be ignored in studies concerned with physical properties. Neglecting to consider mineralogy reduces the fidelity of a simulant since each mineral species has its own unique grain density, preferred grain geometry, and intergranular forces, all of which affect the physical properties of the simulant (e.g., shear strength, bearing strength, bulk density, thermal and electrical properties, magnetic properties). Traditionally, regolith simulants have been limited in quantity and availability; Exolith Lab remedies these problems by designing simulants in a constrained maximization approach to fidelity relative to cost, material availability, and safety. Exolith Lab simulants are designed to approximate the mineralogy and particle size ranges of the planetary regolith being simulated, with composition constrained by remote sensing observations and/or returned sample analyses. With facilities and equipment capable of high-volume simulant production, Exolith Lab offers standard simulants in bulk that are readily available for purchase and shipment. This work reviews the production methods, equipment, and materials used to create Exolith Lab simulants, provides compositional data, particle size data, and applications for each standard lunar, Martian, and asteroid simulant that Exolith Lab offers.

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Thorium anomaly on the lunar surface and its indicative meaning

Zhang,

Liu

2024

Acta Geochim

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The Moon has been divided into three terranes: Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), Feldspathic Highland Terrane (FHT), and South Pole-Aitken Terrane (SPAT), using globally measured Th and FeO. Many lunar evolution models have predicted that a lunar magma ocean will produce a residual layer enriched in incompatible elements such as K, REE, and P (i.e., KREEP) in the late age of crystallization; and that the distribution of thorium can be used as a proxy for determining the global distribution of KREEP. The thorium distribution in these three terranes is inhomogeneous. The highest concentration of thorium is in PKT, the medium concentration of thorium is in SPAT, and almost none in FHT. Then what is the specific distribution in each of the terrane and what enlightenment can it tell us? Here we present and describe the detailed thorium distribution in PKT, SPAT, and FHT and provide some information for the origin of asymmetries on the lunar surface.

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Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton–Belkovich

Cited by 12 publications

References 58 publications

Impact origin of lunar zircon melt inclusions in Apollo impact melt breccia 14311

Impact origin of lunar zircon melt inclusions in Apollo impact melt breccia 14311

Characterization of planetary regolith simulants for the research and development of space resource technologies

Thorium anomaly on the lunar surface and its indicative meaning

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