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Papanastassiou, D. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Papanastassiou, D. A..

At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd chronology and genealogy of mare basalts from the Sea of Tranquility

Rb-Sr and Sm-Nd ages of two Apollo 11 mare basalts, high-K basalt 10072 and low-K basalt 10062, are reported. Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, and Ar-40-Ar-39 ages are in good agreement and indicate an extensive time interval for filling of the Sea of Tranquility, presumably by thin lava flows, in agreement with similar observations for the Ocean of Storms. Initial Sr and Nd isotopic compositions on Apollo 11 basalts reveal at least two parent sources producing basalts. The Sm-Nd isotopic data demonstrate that low-K and high-Ti basalts from Apollo 11 and 17 derived from distinct reservoirs, while low-Ti Apollo 15 mare basalt sources have Sm/Nd similar to the sources of Apollo 11 basalts. Groupings of mare basalt based on Ti content and on isotopic data do not coincide.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Ca isotope fractionation on the moon

Ca has been measured in a lunar soil in order to establish the presence of isotopically mass-fractionated components. Ca was extracted by a series of water leaches after the soils were 'activated' by brief exposures to fluorine gas. The O2 obtained by this fluorination is found to have delta (O-18) of +21 per mil and to be, therefore, significantly mass-fractionated. Ca obtained in the leaches was analyzed using the double-spike technique. Very small Ca isotope fractionation is found in the leaches of this soil of up to 1 per mil per mass unit difference. The small Ca effects are in marked contrast to the measured delta (O-18) for the same sample and to large effects observed in many soils for oxygen, silicon, sulfur, and potassium. The data on Ca provide stringent constraints on models which attempt to explain the isotope mass-fractionation effects in lunar soils.

Russell, W. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Demonstration of Mg-26 excess in Allende and evidence for Al-26

The observation of a large anomaly in the isotopic composition of Mg in a Ca-Al rich chondrule from the Allende meteorite is discussed. A strong correlation is found in this chondrule between the Mg-26 excess and the Al/Mg ratio. The most plausible cause of the anomaly is attributed to the in situ decay of now extinct Al-26. However, the general pattern of Mg isotopic anomalies is not yet shown to be fully consistent with the Al-26 hypothesis, since an apparently negative Mg-26 anomaly is obtained which cannot be explained by Al-26. A large natural fractionation effect is observed for Mg isotopes. The resolution of the O anomaly and its relation with Mg effects require further investigation.

Lee, T.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Rb-Sr age of troctolite 76535

Rb-Sr systematics is studied for the lunar troctolite 76535 in phases covering a wide range of Rb and Sr concentrations. A line is obtained corresponding to an age of 4.61 plus or minus 0.07 AE and an initial Sr-87/Sr-86 of 0.69900 plus or minus 0.00003. The Rb-Sr age of 4.55 plus or minus 0.10 AE for the dunite (72417) and that of the troctolite are in approximate agreement and permit an interpretation that these rocks formed during a single major lunar differentiation which presumbly produced an anorthositic-gabbroic lunar crust and layered upper mantle.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Rb-Sr study of a lunar dunite and evidence for early lunar differentiates

An Rb-Sr study of Boulder 3 from Station 2 sampled during the Apollo 17 mission is reported. The investigated boulder is a metaclastic rock, inferred to have come from the South Massif, and contains a variety of lithic clasts. Since the rock type may be critical in understanding lunar differentiation processes, an extensive investigation was carried out of the dunite clast and other clasts as well as of the fine-grained matrix. The investigation had the purpose to define the age of crystallization of the dunite and to determine the extent to which later metamorphism of the host rock may have effected the isotopic systematics of this clast. The isochron determined yielded an age of 4.55 plus or minus 0.10 AE for the dunite. This result demonstrates that differentiation began close to the time of formation of the moon and that relics of this process are preserved.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Isotopic evidence for a terminal lunar cataclysm

Most highland total rock samples define a single U-Pb isochron which corresponds to a metamorphism age of about 3.9 aeons. This age is also obtained for internal U-Pb isochrons for some of these samples. The data on 18 rock samples range from concordant samples with U-238/Pb-206 ratio of about 1.2 to discordant ones with U-238/Pb-206 ratio of about 0.02. This feature, coupled with a correlated pattern of U-238/Pb-204 ratios, indicates that Pb was extensively mobilized at about 3.9 aeons. The observed Pb-U fractionation is essentially due to Pb volatilization during the metamorphic events. Volatile Pb transport is not accompanied by similar effects in Rb and must therefore be attributed to a specific process. Rb-Sr internal isochrons for the same rocks determine distinct metamorphic events in the interval 3.85 to 4.00 aeons. It is concluded that highland samples from widely separated areas bear the imprint of an event or series of events in a narrow time interval which can be identified with a cataclysmic impacting rate of the moon at about 3.9 aeons, although diffrentiation by internal magma generation cannot be excluded.

Tera, F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Mineralogy, petrology, and chemistry of basalt fragments returned by Luna 16

Mineralogical, petrological, and chemical analyses, along with Rb-Sr age and Ar-40/Ar-39 measurements, were carried out with the B-1 sample returned from the Luna 16 mission. The sample, weighing 62 mg, is a fine-grain basalt of ophitic structure. It differs from the Apollo samples in that the pyroxene and plagioclass contents are almost identical, and the ilmenite content (7%) lies between those of the Apollo-11 and Apollo-12 samples. Chemically, it is characterized by a high Sr content and a high K/U ratio.

Albee, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Rb-Sr systematics of Luna 20 and Apollo 16 samples.

For the soils of two lunar highland sites from which samples were returned by the Luna 20 probe and the Apollo 16 mission, Rb-Sr data are presented. For comparison, the results of some additional analyses of Apollo 15 soils are also given. All these soils indicate that an early lunar differentiation process occurred in the interval of 4.3-4.6 b.y. and resulted in the formation of a crust rich in K, Rb, U, and Th.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

The Rb-Sr age of a crystalline rock from Apollo 16.

Sample 68415 is one of the few large crystalline rocks returned from Apollo 16. A meaningful age may be obtained if the sample studied represents silicate material which was isotopically homogenized at the last time it was melted. It is also assumed that the constituent phases of the sample have remained closed systems subsequent to that time. The material was crushed and separated into different fractions with the aid of heavy liquids. It was found that the mineral separates are mixtures of at least three distinct phases with intrinsically different Rb/Sr ratios. An age of 3.84 aeon was determined.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Mineralogy, petrology, and chemistry of a Luna 16 basaltic fragment, sample B-1.

Petrological, mineralogical, and chemical investigations of the B-1 Luna 16 sample have revealed that the sample is a fine-grained ophitic basalt which is distinguished from the Apollo samples by containing a single pyroxene, an ilmenite content intermediate to that of the Apollo samples, and subequal amounts of pyroxene and plagioclase. It is also distinguished by a high Sr content and a high K/U value.

Albee, A. L.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Rb-Sr age of a Luna 16 basalt and the model age of lunar soils.

An internal isochron was determined on a small basalt fragment (sample B-1) returned from the Luna 16 mission, which yields an age of 3.42 plus or minus 0.8 b.y. and a low initial Sr87/Sr86 value. A comparison is made of the data from four lunar missions to mare sites which shows that the last period of major flooding of the mare basins is confined to a narrow time interval of only 0.55 b.y. The direct evidence of major lunar magmatic activity appears to be confined to the interval from 3.1 to 4.0 b.y. The Sr87/Sr86 values for all mare basalts are extremely primitive and lie in a rather narrow range. A diagram is given for initial Sr87/Sr86 as a function of time for all lunar rocks.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Age of an Apollo 15 mare basalt - Lunar crust and mantle evolution.

An internal Rb-Sr isochron for the large basalt boulder 15555 returned from the edge of Hadley rille by the Apollo 15 mission yields an age 3.32 (plus or minus 0.06) b.y. and an initial Sr-88/Sr-86, I = 0.69934 plus or minus 5. This age and I value fall well within the range obtained for the Apollo 12 basalts from the Ocean of Storms and may indicate that extensive lava flows occurred at 3.3 b.y. over widespread areas of the moon. The Sr composition of the anorthosite 15415 is as low as that of plagioclase extracted from the Apollo 11 low K rocks. The initial Sr composition of 15415 for an assumed age of 3.3 to 4.6 b.y. is extremely primitive and provides further evidence for an extremely short formation interval of a nonchondritic moon with respect to an origin in time defined by BABI.

Wasserburg, G. J.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Rb-Sr ages of igneous rocks from the Apollo 14 mission and the age of the Fra Mauro formation.

Internal Rb-Sr isochrons were determined on four basaltic rocks and on a basaltic clast from a breccia from the Fra Mauro landing site. An internal isochron was determined for rock 12004 and yielded a value in agreement with previous results for basaltic rocks from the Apollo 12 site. The crystallization ages for Apollo 14 basalts are only 0.2 to 0.3 AE older than were found for mare basalts from the Sea of Tranquility. Assuming these leucocratic igneous rocks to be representative of the Fra Mauro site, it follows that there were major igneous processes active in these regions, and presumably throughout the highlands, at times only slightly preceding the periods at which the maria were last flooded.

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS1970

Rb-Sr ages from the Ocean of Storms

Rb-Sr internal isochron ages from Ocean of Storms, discussing analytical results of two texturally and mineralogically distinct crystalline rocks from Apollo 12

Papanastassiou, D. A.↗