Petrology of the highlands massifs at Taurus-Littrow - An analysis of the 2-4 mm soil fraction
The petrography, phase chemistry, and Ar-40/Ar-39 ages of 2-4 mm fragments from the soils of both mare and highlands stations sampled by Apollo 17 are studied. It is found that the massifs consist of a complex stratigraphy of interlayered noritic breccias of varying metamorphic grades, melt rocks, and anorthositic rocks. A stratigraphic correlation of the lithologies within the North Massif and the South Massif is carried out. The petrogenesis of rock types with respect to thermal and impact history is discussed. The observed spinel cataclasites may represent relatively deep material sampled by the Serenitatis event.