Making a Regolith Breccia

Abstract

Regolith breccias are created when regolith is fused together by shock from nearby impacts. Some of these breccias are so friable that they crumble easily back into the soils from which they formed. Others are compacted enough to survive being launched off a parent body and landing on Earth, as evidenced by our collection of regolith breccia meteorites from both the moon and the asteroids. By comparing and contrasting de-lithified soils to their regolith counterparts, insight can be gained into the breccia forming process.