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At least 649 records · Page 36
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1980

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 11th, Houston, TX, March 17-21, 1980, Proceedings. Volume 1 - Igneous processes and remote sensing

Topics discussed include basaltic studies, planetary differentiation (e.g., lunar highland rocks), and remote sensing studies of chemical composition, mineralogic composition, and physical surface properties. Particular attention is given to the petrology and chemistry of basaltic fragments from the Apollo 11 soil; a model of early lunar differentiation; rocks of the early lunar crust; refractory and moderately volatile element abundances in the earth, moon, and meteorites; the effects of overlapping optical absorption bands of pyroxene and glass on the reflectance spectra of lunar soils; and the characterization of Martian surface materials from earth-based radar.

Merrill, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Cl, P2O5, U and Br associated with mineral separates from a low and a high Ti mare basalt

Low Ti basalt 12040 and high Ti basalt 75055 have approximately the same Cl/P2O5 ratio; the Cl is that remaining after a hot water leach. Pyroxene, plagioclase and ilmenite minerals separated from the basalts also tend to have this same Cl/P2O5 ratio. This is evidence that these major minerals do not control the ratio since Cl and P would not be expected to partition to the same extent into each mineral. Olivine appears to be a special case. It is proposed that the grains measured contained inclusions with leachable and P2O5-related Cl. Dilute acid leaches of whole rock and separated minerals have the same or nearly the same Cl/P2O5 ratios as the residual samples. Apatite and whitlockite were probably the phases leached. They must be constituents of the mesostasis and are present as microminerals or coatings on major mineral grains. The acid leach results imply little or no partition of Cl and P2O5 into major minerals.

Jovanovic, S.↗
NASA NTRS1980

A pristine eucrite-like gabbro from Descartes and its exotic kindred

A coarse-grained plagioclase-pyroxene gabbro (61224,6) with a cumulate texture suggestive of a slowly cooled plutonic rock was recovered from the 4-10 mm fraction of an Apollo 16 soil. The rock is uncommonly poor in feldspar and rich in Na for a lunar highlands lithology. Trace element analyses show extremely low siderophile element concentrations which confirm the pristine character indicated by the texture. The composition of 61224,6 is compared with those of 3 other pristine, exceptionally mafic, nonmare gabbros and of certain eucrites. 61224,6 and the three other gabbros have notable chemical differences but share relatively high ratios of Ti/Sm and Sc/Sm which suggest a possible genetic relationship. We conclude that 61224,6 represents a Na-rich cumulate from a layered intrusion within the highlands crust.

Marvin, U. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 11th, Houston, TX, March 17-21, 1980, Proceedings. Volume 2 - Meteorite and regolith studies

Topics discussed include studies of chondrites, mesosiderites, and achondrites; isotope modeling; Antarctic weathering; irradiation effects; lunar regolith studies; the Apollo 17 drill core; soils and agglutinates; and volatiles. Particular attention is given to the proportional retention of I and Xe-129 in preheated Allende, olivine clasts from mesosiderites and howardites as clues to the nature of achondritic parent bodies, a record of solar corpuscular radiation in minerals from lunar soils, the experimental shock metamorphism of lunar soil, and the clouding of pyroxene and plagioclase in eucrites.

Merrill, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Origin of volatile-rich H chondrites with light/dark structures

The light and dark fractions of four gas-rich, brecciated H chondrites are studied in terms of petrography and volatile element chemistry in an investigation of the origin of light/dark chondrites. Petrographic constraints on the nature of the light and dark fractions of the meteorites are presented. Light clasts within the brecciated H chondrites are more highly metamorphosed than dark host material, and olivine, pyroxene and metal compositions suggest that dark fractions consist of mixtures of unequilibrated material and pulverized equilibrated H chondrite similar to the light clasts. Volatile element concentrations in the dark fractions are similar to those in the least equilibrated H3 chondrites, and no petrographic evidence for admixture of significant amounts of carbonaceous chondrite was noted. It is concluded that volatile-rich H chondrite breccias may not have incorporated carbonaceous chondrite dust as the volatile element carrier.

Mcsween, H. Y., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Bulk compositions of chondrules in the Allende meteorite

The bulk chemistries of 33 chondrules from the Allende meteorite were determined by electron microbeam analyses and the modal recombination model. Chondrules were selected on the basis of a petrographic study of 2755 inclusions, of which 997 are chondrules, classified as recrystallized olivine chondrules, euhedral olivine chondrules, anhedral olivine chondrules, glassy/skeletal olivine chondrules, barred olivine chondrules, and pyroxene type chondrules. The data indicate that nonequilibrium metastable paths of crystallization were followed, a model which is supported by olivine-liquid (glassy mesostases) relationships. Variations in olivine morphology are related to cooling rate, degree of supercooling, normative olivine, and calculated viscosities. The chondrules in Allende were derived from highly undersaturated ultramafic melts in which Fe-Ni-S-O immiscible liquids were produced. The chondrule suite exhibits systematic variations in volatile loss, and this relationship is used to support a melting event (however, neither the nature of this event nor the mechanism of melt formation is established).

Simon, S. B.↗
NASA NTRS1980

The lunar regolith - Comparative petrology of the Apollo sites

A description is presented of the modal petrology of eight surface soils from the Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 landing sites. One of the most striking features of the petrology of the considered soils is found to be the similarity in distribution of pyroxene composition between the soil and the local rock types. The considered investigation is concerned with certain difficulties with respect to an understanding of regolith evolution. Lunar soils contain material foreign to the local geology. The foreign material must have been transported over long distances. However, models of regolith formation on the moon indicate that lateral transport is inefficient. It is found in the investigation that the soil is predominantly of local derivation, that lateral homogenization is a minor process, that foreign material is present in the amounts indicated by bulk chemical mixing models, and that preferential transport of fine-grained material does not occur.

Labotka, T. C.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The partitioning of Zr and Nb between diopside and melts in the system diopside-albite-anorthite

The crystal/liquid distribution coefficient for Zr between diopside and melt is measured for six compositions and three temperatures in the diopside field of Di-Ab-An, and the distribution coefficient for Nb is measured for three of these compositions. Nb is found to be excluded from diopside, while D(Zr), which is defined as wt % ZrO2 in crystals/wt % ZrO2 in melt, is variable and ranging from 0.05 to 0.45. D(Zr) is positively correlated with the Al content of both the melt and the pyroxene, and is negatively correlated with temperature. Both D(Zr) and D(Nb) are independent of oxygen fugacity, which implies that neither Zr nor Nb suffer valence changes over a range of oxygen fugacities spanning lunar and terrestrial conditions.

Dunn, T.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Troctolite 76535 - A study in the preservation of early isotopic records

The lunar rock considered in the present investigation is a coarse-grained troctolite granulite containing about 58(vol)% plagioclase, 37% olivine, 4% pyroxene, and less than 1% accessory phases with a texture which indicates formation as a cumulate at depths between 10 and 30 km followed by an extended period of slow cooling. A description is presented of noble gas studies of separated minerals from 76535. The quantity of fission xenon from the in situ decay of Pu-244 provides further evidence for different, mineral-specific, isotopic closure times. The presented data shows that 76535 loses its surface-correlated xenon component upon disaggregation. No other xenon component is lost. The presence of solar gases in 76535 would seem to argue in favor of the external acquisition of the parentless extinct isotope effects and consequently favor 'thermal diffusion' and 'adsorption' over local redistribution models.

Caffee, M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The relationship of the lunar regolith less than 10 micrometer fraction and agglutinates. I - A model for agglutinate formation and some indirect supportive evidence

The first part of a study of the 'less than 10 micrometer' soil fraction and agglutinates is concerned with the chemical systematics of the considered fraction of lunar soils, taking into account a model for agglutinate formation based on the fusion of the finest fraction (FFF). Attention is given to some evidence which supports the FFF model. The evidence is based on some indirect approaches to an estimation of the composition of the fused soil component. It is found that the 'less than 10 micrometer' soil fraction from all Apollo sites except Apollo 16 (which can be explained) is more feldspathic and enriched in incompatible elements (e.g., K and Th) than the bulk soil. It is concluded that these systematics result from simple comminution in which feldspar breaks down to finer sizes than pyroxene and olivine and the fine-grained incompatible-element-enriched mesostasis concentrates in the 'less than 10 micrometer' soil fraction.

Papike, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1982

The Reiner Gamma Formation - Composition and origin as derived from remote sensing observations

In order to investigate the composition and origin of Reiner Gamma, near-infrared spectra and vidicon images were obtained and interpreted. The 0.40/0.56 micron ratio image shows that the high albedo portion of Reiner Gamma is surrounded by a 'red halo' and the 0.95/0.56 micron image indicates that Reiner Gamma exhibits a strong pyroxene absorption band. Analysis of the near-infrared spectra of various portions of the formation indicated the presence of major amounts of fresh mare basalt. Spectral mixing models demonstrate that the Reiner Gamma spectra can be reproduced by mixing major amounts of local fresh mare material (Reiner K crater) with small amounts of fresh highlands material (Oelbers A crater). No evidence was found for the presence of 'exotic' components (i.e., magnetite, free iron, cometary material). Together with photogeologic considerations, these results suggest that Reiner Gamma is quite young and is composed of a mixture of fresh highland materials with much larger quantities of local mare basalt.

Bell, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Coordination chemistry of iron in glasses contributing to remote-sensed spectra of the moon

Ferric iron and tetrahedrally coordinated Fe(2+) ions are identified using Moessbauer and electronic absorption spectroscopic measurements of synthetic glasses equilibrated at P(O2) less than 10 to the -11 atm, simulating the Luna 24 brown glass and Apollo 15 green glass compositions. The presence of 10-20% ferric iron in these low Ti glasses is a result of the absence of Ti(3+) ions. In the brown glass absorption spectra, tetrahedral Fe(3+) and Fe(2+) ions induce an extension of the oxygen-metal charge transfer band into the visible region further than in the green glass containing predominantly octahedral Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) ions. Whereas the glass one-micron band originates from crystal field transitions in octahedral Fe(2+), the glass two-micron band is now positively correlated with tetrahedral Fe(2+) rather than with Fe(2+) ions in pyroxene M2-like sites in the glass structure. The tetrahedral Fe(2+) do not, however, substitute for Si(4+) in glass network-forming sites, instead occurring as network modifiers in larger tetrahedral interstices. The effect of temperature is to induce a pronounced red-shift of the oxygen-iron charge transfer absorption edge, especially for the brown glass, and to intensify significantly the tetrahedral Fe(2+) crystal field two micron band.

Dyar, M. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Observations of silicate reststrahlen bands in lunar infrared spectra

Thermal emission spectra of three lunar sites (Apollo 11, Descartes Formation, and Tycho central peak) are measured in the 8-14 micron spectral range. Transmission and instrument effects are accounted for by forming ratios of the Descartes and Tycho spectra to the Apollo 11 spectrum. The ratio spectra are compared with ratios of published laboratory spectra of returned lunar samples and also with ratio spectra calculated using the Aronson-Emslie (1975) model. The comparisons show pyroxene bands in the Descartes ratio spectrum and plagioclase bands in the Tycho ratio spectrum. The Tycho spectrum is found to be consistent with the existence of fine plagioclase dust (approximately 1 micron) at the rock surface and a higher-than-usual sodium content of the plagioclase.

Potter, A. E., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Influence of CO2 on melting of model granulite facies assemblages - A model for the genesis of charnockites

A model is described for the melting of a simple granulite assemblage, in the presence of CO2-rich fluid phases, which can occur between 750 and 1000 C at crustal pressures and is therefore within the range estimated for such regional metamorphism as that of the Adirondacks. For melting which occurs at about 750 C in the presence of both H2O and CO2, pressures corresponding to the deep crust are required to generate a melt enriched in pyroxene and feldspar components, while melting the precense of pure CO2 at about 1000 C generates analogous melt compositions at lower pressures. These experimental reactions are in keeping with observations constraining charnockite occurrences: (1) pressure and temperature constraints; (2) mineralogical constraints; and (3) constraints on the compositions of volatiles associated with peak conditions of charnockite formation.

Wendlandt, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Trace element concentrations in the isotopically unique Allende inclusion, EK 1-4-1

The bulk sample and mineral separates of the isotopically unique Allende inclusion, EK 1-4-1, are analyzed by instrumental neutron activation for the concentrations of REE, Sc, Fe, Co, Cr, Na, and Ir, and REE concentrations were also determined by mass spectrometric isotope dilution for two density separates. Results show that the inclusion is enriched in light REE compared to heavy REE with a positive Yb anomaly, and has a high Cr concentration, both of which indicate group II affinity, although EK 1-4-1 is a coarse-grained group I inclusion. On the other hand, high Ir, and Sc, and low FeO and Co concentrations were found in the bulk inclusion, and low Na concentrations were found in mineral separates, which indicate an affinity to group I. In addition, for melilite and pyroxene fractions REE, Sc, Co, and Fe were determined to have distributions that were substantially different from those observed for normal Allende type B inclusions.

Nagasawa, H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Visible and near-IR spectral reflectance of geologically important materials: A short review

Examples of reflectance spectra are presented and discussed for various mineral groups including pyroxenes, olivene, phylosilicates, amphiboles, feldspars, oxides and hydroxides, carbonates, and mixtures of minerals. The physical sources of some spectral features are also reviewed such as charge transfer and conduction bands, crystal field absorptions, and vibrational absorptions.

Singer, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Evidence for primitive nebular components in chondrules from the Chainpur chondrite

In view of the fact that the least equilibrated ordinary chondrites contain chondrules that have changed little since the time of their formation in the early solar system, and are therefore excellent indicators of the physical and chemical nature of the solar nebula, 36 chondrules were separated from the Chainpur chondrite and analyzed for 20 elements and petrographic properties. The dominant nebular components found are: (1) a mixture of metal and sulfide whose composition is similar to whole rock metal and sulfide, (2) Ir-rich metal, (3) olivine-rich silicates, (4) pyroxene-rich silicates, and possibly (5) a component containing the more volatile lithophiles. Although etching experiments confirm that chondrule rims are enriched in metal, troilite and moderately volatile elements relative to the bulk chondrules, a large fraction of the volatiles remains in the unetched interior.

Grossman, J. N.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Petrology of EETA79006 and implications for the formation of polymict eucrites

A newly found polymict eucrite, EETA79006, is described. Lithic clasts are similar to those found in howardites and fall into four groups: fine-grained (aphanitic), coarse-grained, basaltic, and cataclastic. All have eucritic compositions and differ mainly in cooling and deformation histories. Some basaltic clasts cooled faster than others and may be impact melts. Analysis of pyroxene and feldspar in the matrix and in 20 lithic clasts indicates that the matrix was not derived from the observed lithic clast population. This meteorite and similar polymict eucrites may have formed by addition of younger more fractionated lithic clasts to the regolith of the parent body.

Simon, S. B.↗