Lunar Magma Ocean crystallization revisited: Bulk composition, early cumulate mineralogy, and the source regions of the highlands Mg-suite

Elardo, S. M.; Draper, D. S.; Shearer, C. K.

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2011.02.033

Cited by 235 publications

(196 citation statements)

References 78 publications

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“…In a nutshell, the dense, KREEP-rich, Fe-Ti-rich material sank through the LMO cumulate pile and probably triggered the onset of Mgrich basaltic magmatism (i.e. onset of Mg-suite and alkali-suite magmatism [123,124]). However, it is not known as to how much mixing of interior material was achieved by the overturn event.…”

Section: Water In the Lunar Magma Ocean And Mare Basalt Source Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the origin and evolution of water in the Moon through lunar sample studies

Anand

Tartèse

Barnes

2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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A paradigm shift has recently occurred in our knowledge and understanding of water in the lunar interior. This has transpired principally through continued analysis of returned lunar samples using modern analytical instrumentation. While these recent studies have undoubtedly measured indigenous water in lunar samples they have also highlighted our current limitations and some future challenges that need to be overcome in order to fully understand the origin, distribution and evolution of water in the lunar interior. Another exciting recent development in the field of lunar science has been the unambiguous detection of water or water ice on the surface of the Moon through instruments flown on a number of orbiting spacecraft missions. Considered together, sample-based studies and those from orbit strongly suggest that the Moon is not an anhydrous planetary body, as previously believed. New observations and measurements support the possibility of a wet lunar interior and the presence of distinct reservoirs of water on the lunar surface. Furthermore, an approach combining measurements of water abundance in lunar samples and its hydrogen isotopic composition has proved to be of vital importance to fingerprint and elucidate processes and source(s) involved in giving rise to the lunar water inventory. A number of sources are likely to have contributed to the water inventory of the Moon ranging from primordial water to meteorite-derived water ice through to the water formed during the reaction of solar wind hydrogen with the lunar soil. Perhaps two of the most striking findings from these recent studies are the revelation that at least some portions of the lunar interior are as water-rich as some Mid-Ocean Ridge Basalt source regions on Earth and that the water in the Earth and the Moon probably share a common origin.

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Section: Water In the Lunar Magma Ocean And Mare Basalt Source Regionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding the origin and evolution of water in the Moon through lunar sample studies

Anand

Tartèse

Barnes

2014

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. A.

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“…Following formation of the Moon, c. 70-110 Myrs after the onset of Solar System formation through a giant impact between proto-Earth and an impacting body (Mars-sized Theia), molten material rapidly accumulated and began to solidify [33][34][35]68]. Previous studies have investigated the extent to which the Moon was initially molten with models ranging from scenarios in which the initial LMO depth was as shallow as 400 km [41], molten to 1000 km [69], to a scenario where the whole Moon was initially molten [50]. (https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=cbcd56e6afbd7dfad1ef9cd0fb52b6f7&t ab=core&tabmode=list).…”

Section: The Lunar Magma Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sources of Extraterrestrial Rare Earth Elements: To the Moon and Beyond

McLeod

Krekeler

2017

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Abstract:The resource budget of Earth is limited. Rare-earth elements (REEs) are used across the world by society on a daily basis yet several of these elements have <2500 years of reserves left, based on current demand, mining operations, and technologies. With an increasing population, exploration of potential extraterrestrial REE resources is inevitable, with the Earth's Moon being a logical first target. Following lunar differentiation at~4.50-4.45 Ga, a late-stage (after~99% solidification) residual liquid enriched in Potassium (K), Rare-earth elements (REE), and Phosphorus (P), (or "KREEP") formed. Today, the KREEP-rich region underlies the Oceanus Procellarum and Imbrium Basin region on the lunar near-side (the Procellarum KREEP Terrain, PKT) and has been tentatively estimated at preserving 2.2 × 10 8 km 3 of KREEP-rich lithologies. The majority of lunar samples (Apollo, Luna, or meteoritic samples) contain REE-bearing minerals as trace phases, e.g., apatite and/or merrillite, with merrillite potentially contributing up to 3% of the PKT. Other lunar REE-bearing lunar phases include monazite, yittrobetafite (up to 94,500 ppm yttrium), and tranquillityite (up to 4.6 wt % yttrium, up to 0.25 wt % neodymium), however, lunar sample REE abundances are low compared to terrestrial ores. At present, there is no geological, mineralogical, or chemical evidence to support REEs being present on the Moon in concentrations that would permit their classification as ores. However, the PKT region has not yet been mapped at high resolution, and certainly has the potential to yield higher REE concentrations at local scales (<10s of kms). Future lunar exploration and mapping efforts may therefore reveal new REE deposits. Beyond the Moon, Mars and other extraterrestrial materials are host to REEs in apatite, chevkinite-perrierite, merrillite, whitlockite, and xenotime. These phases are relatively minor components of the meteorites studied to date, constituting <0.6% of the total sample. Nonetheless, they dominate a samples REE budget with their abundances typically 1-2 orders of magnitude enriched relative to their host rock. As with the Moon, though phases which host REEs have been identified, no extraterrestrial REE resource, or ore, has been identified yet. At present extraterrestrial materials are therefore not suitable REE-mining targets. However, they are host to other resources that will likely be fundamental to the future of space exploration and support the development of in situ resource utilization, for example: metals (Fe, Al, Mg, PGEs) and water.

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“…The global scale melting up to a few hundred km depth of the Moon would be, if it had happened, the first significant event in the evolution of Moon. Recently Elardo et al [48] has discussed the formation of the lunar crust from completely molten Moon. The results discussed below support the global magma ocean hypothesis but cannot distinguish between total or incomplete melting of the Moon.…”

Section: Early Evolution Of the Moonmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Subsequent processes resulting in the formation of secondary crust (mare basalt, Mg spinel anorthosite) are shown schematically (modified after [79]). Other models depicting total melting of the Moon have been discussed by Pritchard and Stevenson [46] and Elardo et al [48].…”

Section: Evidence Of Recent Volcanismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Active moon: evidences from Chandrayaan-1 and the proposed Indian missions

Bhandari

Srivastava

2014

Geosci. Lett.

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), Solar Wind Monitor and Synthetic Aperture Radar gave an insight into an active hydrosphere, with several complex processes operating between lunar surface and its environment. These inferences are based on identification of H, OH, H 2 O, CO 2, Ar etc. in the lunar atmosphere. There are indications that several young (~2 to100 Ma) volcanic regions are present on the Moon as shown by integrated studies using Terrain Mapping Camera and M 3 of Chandrayaan-1 and data from other contemporary missions i.e. Kaguya and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. These data establish that Moon has a dynamic and probably still active interior, in contrast to the generally accepted concept of dormant and quiet Moon. Discovery of Mg spinel anorthosites and finding of kilometer sized crystalline anorthosite exposures by M 3 support the formation of global magma ocean on Moon and differentiation early in its evolutionary history. Furthermore, X-ray Spectrometer data showed anorthositic terrain with composition, high in Al, poor in Ca and low in Mg, Fe and Ti in a nearside southern highland region. This mission provided excellent opportunity for multilateral international cooperation and collaboration in instrumentation and observation in which a dozen countries participated and contributed to the success of the mission. The Mars Orbiter Mission, for study of Martian atmosphere and ionosphere was launched on 5th November, 2013 and is already on its way to Mars. This will be followed by Chandrayaan-2, a well equipped Orbiter-Lander-Rover mission. This article summarises a few results obtained by Chandrayaan-1, which changed some of the concepts about Moon's evolutionary history.

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Lunar Magma Ocean crystallization revisited: Bulk composition, early cumulate mineralogy, and the source regions of the highlands Mg-suite

Cited by 235 publications

References 78 publications

Understanding the origin and evolution of water in the Moon through lunar sample studies

Understanding the origin and evolution of water in the Moon through lunar sample studies

Sources of Extraterrestrial Rare Earth Elements: To the Moon and Beyond

Active moon: evidences from Chandrayaan-1 and the proposed Indian missions

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