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1.
Boulder 1 at Station 2 is one of three boulders sampled by Apollo 17 at the base of the South Massif, which rises 2.3 km above the floor of a linear valley interpreted as a graben formed by deformation related to the southern Serenitatis impact. The boulders probably rolled from the upper part of the massif after emplacement of the light mantle. Orbital gravity data and photogeologic reinterpretation suggest that the Apollo 17 area is located approximately on the third ring of the southern Serenitatis basin, approximately 1.25 times larger than the analogous but fresher Orientale basin structure. The massif exposures are interpreted to represent the upper part of thick ejecta deposited by the southern Serenitatis impact near the rim of the transient cavity. Basin ring structure and the radial grabens that give the massifs definition were imposed on this ejecta at a slightly later stage in the basin-forming process. There is no clear-cut compositional, textural, or photogeologic evidence that Imbrium ejecta was collected at the Apollo 17 site.  相似文献   

2.
Sixteen samples of Boulder 1 from Station 2 at the Apollo 17 site were analyzed by radiochemical neutron activation analysis for Ag, Au, Bi, Br, Cd, Cs, Ge, Ir, Ni, Rb, Re, Sb, Te, Tl, U, and Zn. Two clast samples contam no meteoritic material and appear to consist of relatively pristine igneous rocks: an unusual, KREEP-rich pigeonite basalt of very high Ge content, and an alkali-poor coarse norite. Nine grey or black breccia samples contain a unique, Group 3 meteoritic component of Ir/Au ratio 0.65–0.82, which appears to separate into subgroups 3H and 3L on the basis of Ni, Ge, and Re content. It is quite distinct from the Group 2 component (Ir/Au - 0.46–0.54) that dominates at the Apollo 17 site.The unique black-rimmed clasts from this boulder show striking compositional zoning. The cores of anorthositic breccia are very low in Rb, Cs, and U, and have a distinctive 5L meteoritic component (Ir/Au1.1). The black rinds are 5- to 10-fold richer in Rb, Cs, and U and have a Group 3 meteoritic component. The cores may represent breccias formed in an earlier impact that became coated with alkali-rich ejecta during the event that produced the boulder.Because of the rarity of the Group 3 meteoritic component at the Apollo 17 site, this boulder cannot represent ordinary Serenitatis ejecta, with their characteristic admixture of the Group 2 Serenitatis projectile. It may represent pre-Serenitatis material excavated from the fringes of the crater during late stages of the Serenitatis impact, but only lightly shocked and hence uncontaminated by the Serenitatis projectile.  相似文献   

3.
New topographic data allow a reassessment of the ring structure of the Serenitatis basin and correlation with the younger Orientale basin. The northern Serenitatis basin is smaller and less well preserved than the southern Serenitatis basin. Three major rings of the main (southern) Serenitatis basin are mapped: ring 1, Linné ring, outlined by mare ridges, average diameter 420 km; ring 2, Haemus ring, outlined by basin-facing scarps and massifs with crenulated borders, 610 km; ring 3, Vitruvius ring, outlined by basin-facing linear scarps and massifs, 880 km. Ring 1 corresponds to the inner Rook Mountain ring of Orientale, ring 2 with the outer Rook ring, and ring 3 with the Cordillera Mountain ring. These ring identifications and assignments indicate that the Serenitatis basin is essentially the same size as the Orientale basin, rather than much larger, as previously proposed. The Apollo 17 site lies near the second ring, which is interpreted as the rim of the transient cavity. Apollo 15 lies at the junction of the Serenitatis and Imbrium third rings; Serenitatis ejecta should be present in significant amounts at the Apollo 15 site. The new reconstruction indicates that portions of the Serenitatis basin are better preserved than previously thought, consistent with recent stratigraphic and sample studies that suggest an age for Serenitatis which is older than, but close to, the time of formation of the Imbrium basin.  相似文献   

4.
Boulder 1, Station 2, Apollo 17 is a stratified boulder containing dark clasts and dark-rimmed light clasts set in a light-gray friable matrix. The gray to black clasts (GCBx and BCBx) are multigenerational, competent, high-grade metamorphic, and partially melted breccias. They contain a diverse suite of lithic clasts which are mainly ANT varieties, but include granites, basaltic-textured olivine basalts, troctolitic and spinel troctolitic basalts, and unusual lithologies such as KREEP norite, ilmenite (KREEP) microgabbro, and the Civet Cat norite, which is believed to be a plutonic differentiate. The GCBxs and BCBxs are variable in composition, averaging a moderately KREEPy olivine norite. The matrix consists of mineral fragments derived from the observed lithologies plus variable amounts of a component, unobserved as a clast-type, that approximates a KREEP basalt in composition, as well as mineral fragments of unknown derivation. The high-temperature GCBxs cooled substantially before their incorporation into the friable matrix of Boulder 1. The light friable matrix (LFBx) is texturally distinct from the competent breccia clasts and, apart from the abundant ANT clasts, contains clasts of a KREEPy basalt that is not observed in the competent breccias. The LFBx lacks such lithologies as the granites and the Civet Cat norite observed in the competent breccias and in detail is a distinct chemical as well as textural entity. We interpret the LFBx matrix as Serenitatis ejecta deposited in the South Massif, and the GCBx clasts as remnants of an ejecta blanket produced by an earlier impact. The source terrain for the Serenitatis impact consisted of the competent breccias, crustal ANT lithologies, and the KREEPy basalts, attesting to substantial lunar activity prior to the impact. The age of the older breccias suggests that the Serenitatis event is younger than 4.01±0.03 b.y.  相似文献   

5.
It appears possible to establish a preliminary geological model for the origin and evolution of the breccias of Boulder 1 at Station 2 in the Valley of Taurus-Littrow based on firm and probable geological constraints. The crystallization of plagioclase and other ANT-suite phases now present as clasts appears to have occurred in the lunar crust about 4.5 b.y. ago during the ‘melted shell stage’ of lunar history as that history is presently modeled. The original rocks containing these phases, which now make up the gray competent breccias of Boulder 1, were greatly modified by impact processes during the ‘cratered highland stage’ and the early part of the ‘large basin stage’, up to about 4.0 b.y. ago. About 4.0 b.y. ago, pigeonite basalts with KREEP affinities appear to have been intruded into the pre-Serenitatis crust from which the light friable breccias of Boulder 1 were later derived. During the large basin stage, three major dynamic events profoundly influenced the present character of the Boulder 1 materials. These events probably occurred as follows: (1) formation of gray competent breccia containing ANT-suite clasts in the hot ejecta blanket of an old large basin event, such as Tranquillitatis, that took place about 4.0 b.y. ago; (2) rebrecciation and redeposition of the gray competent breccia, mixed with light friable breccia and pigeonite basalt, in a relatively cool ejecta deposit, possibly produced by the northern Serenitatis event; (3) uplift and exposure of the Boulder 1 materials in the South Massif by the southern Serenitatis event about 3.90 b.y. ago.  相似文献   

6.
The Taurus-Littrow region (Apollo 17 landing area) is located in the northeastern quadrant of the Moon in the mountainous area on the southeastern rim of the Serenitatis basin. The highlands in the Taurus-Littrow region can be divided into three broad terrain types. (1)Littrow massifs - massive, 10-20 km diam, steep-sloped (20°–30°), highland blocks often bordered by linear graben-like valleys. (2)Littrow sculptured hills - a series of closely spaced 1-5 km diam domical hills occupying broad highland plateaus which have been cratered and block faulted. Sculptured hill units stretch along the eastern edge of Serenitatis from the Apollo 17 area north to Posidonius. (3)Vitruvius front and plateau - a long irregular but generally north-trending scarp (occasionally rising over 2 km above the surrounding terrain) and its associated uplifted plateau to the east. This terrain is composed of hills ranging from 2-7 km diam, whose morphology is intermediate between the sculptured hills and the massifs. It is concluded that the highland units in the Taurus-Littrow region are primarily related to the origin of the Serenitatis basin because of their marked similarity to more well-preserved basin-related deposits in the younger Imbrium and Orientale basins: (1) the massifs and sculptured terra are morphologically similar to the Imbrium basin-related Montes Alpes and Alpes Formation, (2) the relative geographic position of the Taurus-Littrow highlands and Montes Alpes/Alpes Formation is the same, forming the second ring and spreading distally, and (3) the structures are similar in orientation and development (e.g., massifs are related to radial and concentric structure; Alpes Formation/sculptured terra are not). Interpretation of the massifs and sculptured hills as Serenitatis impact-related deposits lessens the possible role of highland volcanism in the origin and evolution of the Taurus-Littrow terrain, although extensive pre-Serenitatis volcanism cannot be ruled out. The preserved morphology of the sculptured hills suggests that the thickness of post-Serenitatis large basin ejecta (from Imbrium, for instance) is small, compared to the total highland section. This implies that the primary contributions to the highland stratigraphy are from Serenitatis and pre-Serenitatis events. The highland surface, however, may be dominated by ejecta from the latest nearby large event (formation of the Imbrium basin). Structural elements mapped in the Taurus-Littrow area include lineaments, the Vitruvius structural front, two types of grabens, and scarps. The majority of lineaments, as well as some grabens, appear to be related to a dominant NW trend and subordinate N and NE trends. These trends are interpreted to be related to a more regional lunar grid pattern which formed in the area prior to the origin of the Serenitatis basin, causing distinct structural inhomogeneities in the highland terrain. The Serenitatis event produced radial and concentric structures predominantly influenced by this pre-existing trend. Younger grabens are generally circumferential to the Serenitatis basin and appear to be related to readjustment of Serenitatis-produced structures; those that are oblique to Serenitatis follow the pre-Serenitatis structural grain. No obvious structural elements can be correlated with the post-Serenitatis, Nectaris and Crisium basins. It is believed that the origin and hence the geographic concentration of the Littrow massifs is related to the fact that Serenitatis radials in the massif area coincide with lines of pre-existing structural weakness along a general lunar grid direction (NW). Pre-existing structurally weak lunar grid trends seem to have been structurally reactivated by Serenitatis radials, causing preferential uplift of large blocks in this area. Elsewhere in the region radials would be oblique to this direction. Since Serenitatis and Imbrium radials coincide in the massif area, the post-Serenitatis Imbrium event may have reactivated Serenitatis radial fractures, possibly rejuvenating the massif terrain. The geologic and tectonic history of the Taurus-Littrow highlands began prior to the origin of Serenitatis in Tectonic Interval I. The strong NW trending structural elements are believed to have formed as part of a global stress pattern (possibly shear) sometime during this period of probable crustal formation and fragmentation. Tectonic Interval II was initiated by the origin of the Serenitatis basin. The basic topography and morphology of the region and most large grabens resulted from this event and their orientations show that they were controlled at least in part by the pre-existing grid. No other large basins forming during this interval appear to have had a major effect on the area. Tectonic Interval III is dominated by the formation of narrow grabens following structural patterns circumferential to the Serenitatis basin and tangential to it where they coincide with pre-existing grid directions. Serenitatis isostatic rebound or early mare fill may have produced this stress system. The scarp in the vicinity of the Apollo 17 landing site is the youngest obvious structural element.  相似文献   

7.
Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) U‐Pb ages of Ca‐phosphates from four texturally distinct breccia samples (72255, 76055, 76015, 76215) collected at the Apollo 17 landing site were obtained in an attempt to identify whether they represent a single or several impact event(s). The determined ages, combined with inferences from petrologic relationships, may indicate two or possibly three different impact events at 3920 ± 3 Ma, 3922 ± 5 Ma, and 3930 ± 5 Ma (all errors 2σ). Searching for possible sources of the breccias by calculating the continuous ejecta radii of impact basins and large craters as well as their expected ejecta thicknesses, we conclude that Nectaris, Crisium, Serenitatis, and Imbrium are likely candidates. If the previous interpretation that the micropoikilitic breccias collected at the North Massif represent Serenitatis ejecta is correct, then the average 207Pb/206Pb age of 3930 ± 5 Ma (2σ) dates the formation of the Serenitatis basin. The occurrence of zircon in the breccias sampled at the South Massif, which contain Ca‐phosphates yielding an age of 3922 ± 5 Ma (2σ), may indicate that the breccia originated from within the Procellarum KREEP terrane (PKT) and the Imbrium basin appears to be the only basin that could have sourced them. However, this interpretation implies that all basins suggested to fall stratigraphically between Serenitatis and Imbrium formed within a short (<11 Ma) time interval, highlighting serious contradictions between global stratigraphic constraints, sample interpretation, and chronological data. Alternatively, the slightly older age of the two micropoikilitic breccias may be a result of incomplete resetting of the U‐Pb system preserved in some phosphate grains. Based on the currently available data set this possibility cannot be excluded.  相似文献   

8.
Abstract— Mafic, Th-rich impact-melt breccias, most of which are identified with the composition known as low-K Fra Mauro (LKFM), are the most common rock type in the nonmare regoliths of the Apollo lunar landing sites. The origin of mafic impact-melt breccias bears on many lunar problems: the nature of the late meteoroid bombardment (cataclysm); the spatial distribution of KREEP, both near the surface and at depth; the ages of the major basins; and the composition of the early crust of the nearside lunar highlands. Thus, it is crucial that the origin of mafic impact-melt breccias be accurately understood. Because of both intra- and intersite differences in compositions of mafic impact-melt breccia samples, apparent differences in crystallization age, and differences in siderophile-element ratios, previous studies have argued that either (1) most mafic impact-melt breccias are the products of several large craters local to the site at which they were found but that some are of basin origin or that (2) they are all from the Imbrium (Apollos 14 and 15), Nectaris (Apollo 16), and Serenitatis (Apollo 17) basins. Here, we reconsider the hypothesis that virtually all of the Th-rich, mafic impact-melt breccias from the Apollo missions are products of the Imbrium impact. Ejecta deposit modeling based on modern crater scaling indicates that the Imbrium event produced ejecta deposits that average hundreds of meters thick or more at all Apollo highland sites, which is thicker than some previous estimates. Substantial amounts of Imbrium ejecta should have been sampled at every Apollo highland site. We suggest that the mafic impact-melt breccias may be the principal form of those ejecta. The Imbrium projectile impacted into Th-rich material that we regard as part of a unique, mafic, lunar geochemical province we call the High-Th Oval Region. Based on the surface distribution of Th, only basins within the High-Th Oval Region excavated Th-rich material; the Th concentrations of the highlands as observed by the Apollo orbiting γ-ray experiments are consistent with the estimates from ejecta modeling. Of the younger basin-forming impacts, only Imbrium was large enough to produce the copious amount of melt required by the ubiquitous presence of mafic impact-melt breccias in the Apollo-sampled regolith. The High-Th Oval Region still may have been molten or hot at shallow depths ～4 Ga ago when the Imbrium projectile struck. We reason that compositional heterogeneity of ejected melt breccia is to be expected under these circumstances. We argue that siderophile-element “fingerprints” of mafic impact-melt breccias are not inconsistent with production of all common types by a single projectile. We suggest that the narrow range of ages of 3.7–4.0 Ga for all successfully dated mafic impact-melt breccias may reflect a single event whose age is difficult to measure precisely, rather than a number of discrete impact events closely spaced in time, such that reported age variations among mafic impact-melt breccias reflect the ability to measure 40Ar/39Ar ages with greater precision than the accuracy with which measured portions of mafic impact-melt breccias have recorded the time of their formation.  相似文献   

9.
Rare gas isotopic analyses have been performed on both pile-irradiated and unirradiated samples from Boulder 1, Station 2. Two samples from rock 72255, the Civet Cat clast and a sample of adjacent breccia, have concordant40Ar-39 Ar ages of 3.99±0.03 b.y. and 4.01±0.03 b.y., respectively. Several samples from rock 72275 have complex thermal release patterns with no datable features, but an intermediate-temperature plateau from the dark rim material of the Marble Cake clast yields an age of 3.99±0.03 b.y. - indistinguishable from the age of rock 72255. We regard these ages as upper limits on the time of the Serenitatis basin-forming event. The absence of fossil solar-wind trapped gases in the breccia samples implies that a prior existence for the boulder as near-surface regolith material can be regarded as extremely unlikely. Instead, the small trapped rare-gas components have isotopic and elemental compositions diagnostic of the terrestrial-type trapped component which has previously been identified in several Apollo 16 breccias and in rock 14321. Excess fission Xe is found in all Boulder 1 samples in approximately 1:1 proportions with Xe from spontaneous fission of238U. This excess fission Xe is attributed to spontaneous fission of244Puin situ. Cosmic-ray exposure ages for samples from rocks 72215 and 72255 are concordant, with mean81Kr-Kr exposure ages of 41.4±1.4 m.y. and 44.1±3.3 m.y., respectively. However a distinctly different81Kr-Kr exposure age of 52.5±1.4 m.y. is obtained for samples from rock 72275. A two-stage exposure model is developed to account for this discordance and for the remaining cosmogenic rare-gas data. The first stage was initiated at least 55 m.y. ago, probably as a result of the excavation of the boulder source-crop. A discrete change in shielding depths ～ 35 m.y. ago probably corresponds to the dislodgement of Boulder 1 from the South Massif and emplacement in its present position.  相似文献   

10.
Correlations among the trace and minor element pairs Cl and Br, Cl and P2O5, and Ru and Os, present in parent igneous rocks, generally survived the processes of boulder breccia formation. Fractions of the Cl, Br, and Hg that are mobilized by water leaching and/or volatilization at moderate temperatures (?450°C) place constraints on the thermal history of Boulder 1 and its component breccias. Since, and possibly during, consolidation, the boulder has probably not been subjected to temperatures of ?450°C. The parent rocks of the Apollo 17 boulder and breccia samples studied could have been derived from two initial magmas. Boulder 1, Station 2 gray competent breccias 72255 and 72275 Clast #2 appear to be genetically unrelated to gray competent breccia and anorthositic material 72215, or to light friable breccia 72275; they do appear to be related to samples 72395 (Boulder 2) and 76315 (Station 6 boulder). Vapor clouds from apparently external sources permeated the source regions of the boulders.  相似文献   

11.
Analysis of terrain in the Apollo 16 Descartes landing region shows a series of features that form a stratigraphic sequence which dominates the history and petrogenesis at the site. An ancient 150 km diam crater centered on the Apollo 16 site is one of the earliest recognizable major structures. Nectaris ejecta was concentrated in a regional low at the base of the back slope of the Nectaris basin to form the Descartes Mountains. Subsequently, a 60 km diam crater formed in the Descartes Mountains centered about 25 km to the west of the site. This crater dominates the geology and petrogenetic history of the site. Stone and Smoky Mountains represent the degraded terraced crater walls, and the dark matrix breccias and metaclastic rocks derived from North and South Ray craters represent floor fallback breccias from this cratering event. Subsequent major cratering occurred in the region (Dollond B, etc.) prior to the Imbrium and Orientale basin-forming events but had minor effect on the site. Based on this interpretation, contributions from Imbrium at the Apollo 16 site are minor and those from Orientale negligible. The petrology of the Apollo 16 rocks supports this stratigraphic and process model of a local crater-dominated history for this region.  相似文献   

12.
Abstract— The 1.07 Ma well‐preserved Bosumtwi impact structure in Ghana (10.5 km in diameter) formed in 2 Ga‐old metamorphosed and crystalline rocks of the Birimian system. The interior of the structure is largely filled by the 8 km diameter Lake Bosumtwi, and the crater rim and region in the environs of the crater is covered by tropical rainforest, making geological studies rather difficult and restricted to road cuts and streams. In early 1999, we undertook a shallow drilling program to the north of the crater rim to determine the extent of the ejecta blanket around the crater and to obtain subsurface core samples for mineralogical, petrological, and geochemical studies of ejecta of the Bosumtwi impact structure. A variety of impactite lithologies are present, consisting of impact glassrich suevite and several types of breccia: lithic breccia of single rock type, often grading into unbrecciated rock, with the rocks being shattered more or less in situ without much relative displacement (autochthonous?), and lithic polymict breccia that apparently do not contain any glassy material (allochtonous?). The suevite cores show that melt inclusions are present throughout the whole length of the cores in the form of vesicular glasses with no significant change of abundance with depth. Twenty samples from the 7 drill cores and 4 samples from recent road cuts in the structure were studied for their geochemical characteristics to accumulate a database for impact lithologies and their erosion products present at the Bosumtwi crater. Major and trace element analyses yielded compositions similar to those of the target rocks in the area (graywacke‐phyllite, shale, and granite). Graywacke‐phyllite and granite dikes seem to be important contributors to the compositions of the suevite and the road cut samples (fragmentary matrix), with a minor contribution of Pepiakese granite. The results also provide information about the thickness of the fallout suevite in the northern part of the Bosumtwi structure, which was determined to be ≤15 m and to occupy an area of ?1.5 km2. Present suevite distribution is likely to be caused by differential erosion and does not reflect the initial areal extent of the continuous Bosumtwi ejecta deposits. Our studies allow a comparison with the extent of the suevite at the Ries, another well‐preserved impact structure.  相似文献   

13.
Before the Apollo 16 mission, the material of the Cayley Formation (a lunar smooth plains) was theorized to be of volcanic origin. Because Apollo 16 did not verify such interpretations, various theories have been published that consider the material to be ejecta of distant multiringed basins. Results presented in this paper indicate that the material cannot be solely basin ejecta. If smoothplains are a result of formation of these basins or other distant large craters, then the plains materials are mainly ejecta of secondary craters of these basins or craters with only minor contributions of primary-crater or basin ejecta. This hypothesis is based on synthesis of knowledge of the mechanics of ejection of material from impact craters, photogeologic evidence, remote measurements of surface chemistry, and petrology of lunar samples. Observations, simulations, and calculations presented in this paper show that ejecta thrown beyond the continuous deposits of large lunar craters produce secondary-impact craters that excavate and deposit masses of local material equal to multiples of that of the primary crater ejecta deposited at the same place. Therefore, the main influence of a large cratering event on terrain at great distances from such a crater is one of deposition of more material by secondary craters, rather than deposition of ejecta from the large crater. Examples of numerous secondary craters observed in and around the Cayley Formation and other smooth plains are presented. Evidence is given for significant lateral transport of highland debris by ejection from secondary craters and by landslides triggered by secondary impact. Primary-crater ejecta can be a significant fraction of a deposit emplaced by an impact crater only if the primary crater is nearby. Other proposed mechanisms for emplacement of smooth-plains formations are discussed, and implications regarding the origin of material in the continuous aprons surrounding large lunar craters is considered. It is emphasized that the importance of secondary-impact cratering in the highlands has in general been underestimated and that this process must have been important in the evolution of the lunar surface.  相似文献   

14.
In this paper, we compare the U‐Pb zircon age distribution pattern of sample 14311 from the Apollo 14 landing site with those from other breccias collected at the same landing site. Zircons in breccia 14311 show major age peaks at 4340 and 4240 Ma and small peaks at 4110, 4030, and 3960 Ma. The zircon age patterns of breccia 14311 and other Apollo 14 breccias are statistically different suggesting a separate provenance and transportation history for these breccias. This interpretation is supported by different U‐Pb Ca‐phosphate and exposure ages for breccia 14311 (Ca‐phosphate age: 3938 ± 4 Ma, exposure age: ~550–660 Ma) from the other Apollo 14 breccias (Ca‐phosphate age: 3927 ± 2 Ma, compatible with the Imbrium impact, exposure age: ~25–30 Ma). Based on these observations, we consider two hypotheses for the origin and transportation history of sample 14311. (1) Breccia 14311 was formed in the Procellarum KREEP terrane by a 3938 Ma‐old impact and deposited near the future site of the Imbrium basin. The breccia was integrated into the Fra Mauro Formation during the deposition of the Imbrium impact ejecta at 3927 Ma. The zircons were annealed by mare basalt flooding at 3400 Ma at Apollo 14 landing site. Eventually, at approximately 660 Ma, a small and local impact event excavated this sample and it has been at the surface of the Moon since this time. (2) Breccia 14311 was formed by a 3938 Ma‐old impact. The location of the sample is not known at that time but at 3400 Ma, it was located nearby or buried by hot basaltic flows. It was transported from where it was deposited to the Apollo 14 landing site by an impact at approximately 660 Ma, possibly related to the formation of the Copernicus crater and has remained at the surface of the Moon since this event. This latter hypothesis is the simplest scenario for the formation and transportation history of the 14311 breccia.  相似文献   

15.
Twenty-seven samples of matrix and clast materials from Boulder 1 at Station 2, Apollo 17 have been analyzed for major and trace elements as part of the study of this boulder by Consortium Indomitabile. Both unusual and common types of material have been characterized. Gray and black competent breccia (GCBx and BCBx) and anorthositic breccia (AnBx) have compositions which are common at the Apollo 17 site and were common at the site of boulder formation. Light friable breccias (LFBx) have compositions which are not found at the Apollo 17 site other than in the boulder. Pigeonite basalt is a new type of lunar rock and has characteristics that would be expected of a highland volcanic rock. It is associated with LFBx material, and like LFBx material it is exotic to the Apollo 17 site. Coarse norite is an old primitive rock which is no longer (if ever) found as millimeter fragments at the Apollo 17 site. It was, however, present as millimeter fragments associated with GCBx and BCBx materials at the site and time of boulder formation. Therefore the boulder-forming process combined materials from at least two different localities or vertical strata; at least one of these (LFBx) has not been previously sampled and analyzed.  相似文献   

16.
New petrography and 40Ar‐39Ar ages have been obtained for 1–3 mm sized rock fragments from Apollo 16 Station 13 soil 63503 (North Ray crater ejecta) and chips from three rocks collected by Apollo 16 and Apollo 17 missions. Selection of these samples was aimed at the old 40Ar‐39Ar ages to understand the early history of the lunar magnetic field and impact flux. Fifteen samples were studied including crustal material, polymict feldspathic fragmental breccias, and impact melts. The impact ages obtained range between approximately 3.3 and 4.3 billion years (Ga). Polymict fragmental breccia 63503,1 exhibits the lowest signs of recrystallization observed and a probable old relic age of 4.547 ± 0.027. The plateau age of 4.293 ± 0.044 Ga obtained for impact melt rock 63503,13 represents the oldest known age for such a lithology. Possibly, this age represents the minimum age for the South Pole‐Aitken (SPA) Basin. In agreement with literature data, these results show that impact ages >3.9 Ga are found in lunar rocks, especially within soil 63503. Impact exhumation of deep‐seated warm crustal material onto the lunar surface is considered to explain the common 4.2 Ga ages obtained for weakly shocked samples from soil 63503 and Apollo 17. This would directly imply that one or more basin‐forming events occurred at that time. Some rock fragments showing none to limited petrologic features indicate thermal annealing. These rocks may have lost Ar while resident within the hot‐ejecta of a large basin. Concurrent with previous studies, these results lead us to advocate for a complex impact flux in the inner solar system during the initial approximately 1.3 Ga.  相似文献   

17.
Magnesium‐rich spinel assemblages occur in the two lunar vitric breccia meteorites—Dhofar (Dho) 1528 and Graves Nunataks (GRA) 06157. Dho 1528 contains up to ~0.7 mm cumulate Mg‐rich spinel crystals associated with Mg‐rich olivine, Mg‐ and Al‐rich pyroxene, plagioclase, and rare cordierite. Using thermodynamic calculations of these mineral assemblages, we constrain equilibration depths and discuss an origin of these lithologies in the upper mantle of the Moon. In contrast, small, 10 to 20 μm spinel phenocryst assemblages in glassy melt rock clasts in Dho 1528 and GRA 06157 formed from the impact melting of Mg‐rich rocks. Some of these spinel phenocrysts match compositional constraints for spinel associated with “pink spinel anorthosites” inferred from remote sensing data. However, such spinel phenocrysts in meteorites and Apollo samples are typically associated with significant amounts of olivine ± pyroxene that exceed the compositional constraints for pink spinel anorthosites. We conclude that the remotely sensed “pink spinel anorthosites” have not been observed in the collections of lunar rocks. Moreover, we discuss impact‐excavation scenarios for the spinel‐bearing assemblages in Dhofar 1528 and compare the bulk rock composition of Dho 1528 to strikingly similar compositions of Luna 20 samples that contain ejecta from the Crisium impact basin.  相似文献   

18.
The ejecta blankets of impact craters in volatile‐rich environments often possess characteristic layered ejecta morphologies. The so‐called double‐layered ejecta (DLE) craters are characterized by two ejecta layers with distinct morphologies. The analysis of high‐resolution image data, especially HiRISE and CTX, provides new insights into the formation of DLE craters. A new phenomenological excavation and ejecta emplacement model for DLE craters is proposed based on a detailed case study of the Martian crater Steinheim—a well‐preserved DLE crater—and studies of other DLE craters. The observations show that the outer ejecta layer is emplaced as medial and distal ejecta that propagate outwards in a debris avalanche or (if saturated with water) a debris flow mode after landing, overrunning previously formed secondary craters. In contrast, the inner ejecta layer is formed by a translational slide of the proximal ejecta deposits during the emplacement stage that overrun and superimpose parts of the outer ejecta layer. Based on our model, DLE craters on Mars are the result of an impact event into a rock/ice mixture that produces large amounts of shock‐induced vaporization and melting of ground ice, leading to high ejection angles, proximal landing positions, and an ejecta curtain with relatively wet (in terms of water in liquid form) composition in the distal part versus dryer composition in the proximal part. As a consequence, basal melting of ice components in the ejecta at the transient crater rim, which is induced by frictional heating and the enhanced pressure at depth, initiates an outwards directed collapse of crater rim material in a translational slide mode. Our results indicate that similar processes may also be applicable for other planetary bodies with volatile‐rich environments, such as Ganymede, Europa, and the Earth.  相似文献   

19.
Abstract– Ejecta from the large subsurface Tookoonooka impact structure have been found in the Lower Cretaceous strata of the extensive Eromanga Basin of central Australia. Observations from 31 wells spanning 400,000 km2 of the basin provide compelling evidence for the presence of a marine impact horizon of regional extent. Drill core was examined to determine the sedimentary context of the Tookoonooka impact event, the presence of ejecta, and the nature of the impact horizon. The base of the Wyandra Sandstone Member of the Cadna‐owie Formation is an unconformity commonly overlain by very poorly sorted sediment with imbricated pebbles, exotic clasts, and occasional boulders. The basal Wyandra Sandstone Member is bimodal: a fine sand mode reflects an ambient sediment contribution and a coarse mode is interpreted to be impact‐derived. Wells Thargomindah‐1 and Eromanga‐1, within four crater radii of Tookoonooka, contain distinctive clast‐supported breccia‐conglomerate beds at the base of the Wyandra Sandstone Member. Clasts in these beds include altered accretionary and melt impactoclasts, as well as lithic and mineral grains corresponding to the Tookoonooka target rock sequence, including basement. Petrographic evidence includes shock metamorphosed quartz and lithic grains with planar deformation features. These breccia‐conglomerates are in stark contrast to the underlying, laterally persistent, unimodal Cadna‐owie sediments and overlying shales deposited in an epeiric sea. The base of the Wyandra Sandstone Member is therefore interpreted to be the Tookoonooka impact horizon. The timing of the impact event is confirmed to be the Barremian‐Aptian boundary, at 125 ± 1 Ma. The Wyandra Sandstone Member preserves both impact ejecta and postimpact marine sediments.  相似文献   

20.
Gravity results are displayed as a band of contours ≈60 km wide spanning 140° of frontside longitude. The contours traverse Grimaldi, Mare Procellarum, Copernicus, Apennines, Mare Serenitatis, Littrow, and Mare Crisium. Redundant gravity area previously mapped by Apollos 14, 15, 16, and the Apollo subsatellites are tabulated and show excellent consistency. Modeling of Grimaldi reveals a loading more than the known mascons and thus makes Grimaldi the smallest known mascon feature. Copernicus' gravity profile is best modeled with a mass defect for the basin and a mass excess for the rim. Mare Serenitatis has an irregular mass distribution with central gravity highs shifted approximately 3° in latitude.  相似文献   

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