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Download Minerals and Origin of the Moon - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
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Minerals and Origin of the Moon Triana Henz Formation Theories • • • • Fission Capture Co-formation Giant Impact Data • High angular momentum • Low iron core • Identical abundances of oxygen isotopes Giant Impact Exchange Giant Impact Uncertainty • Faster cooling rate • Rotation of disk might have inhibited radial diffusion • Either enrich or same as the Earth in REE, thorium, uranium, zirconium and FeO Mineral Make up • Thick crust has feldspar and pyroxene • Feldspar is mainly anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8 ) , especially if the melt is pyroxene and olivine rich • Low density means that it most likely doesn’t have an iron core • Same density as ordinary rock Phenomenon • Pristine highland rocks are extremely rare • Probably due to “gardening” of the surface • Highland is made from molten lunar material that crystallized slowly from deep inside • Magma ocean froze over • Radioactive isotopes decayed, warming up interior • Basalt erupted to low areas Composition • Olivine: dense, in interiors and lava • Pyroxene: constituent in interiors where metallic iron is present • Feldspar: less dense, crust • Ilmenite: lava, titanium bearing Composition • Eutectic composition can shift with pressure • Determine depth of lava source Composition • REE fit in where they can • Feldspars rejects lighter REE • Feldspars accepts denser REE • Pyroxene is opposite • Olivine rejects all • Europium (Eu) is a characteristic of feldspars References • Taylor, G. J. (2008). "Compositional Balancing Before Moon Formation." Planetary Science Research Discoveries. http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Feb08/EarthM oonFormation.html
