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At least 685 records · Page 38

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NASA NTRS1972

Artificial lunar impact craters: Four new identifications, part I

The Apollo 16 panoramic camera photographed the impact locations of the Ranger 7 and 9 spacecraft and the S-4B stage of the Apollo 14 Saturn launch vehicle. Identification of the Ranger craters was very simple because each photographed its target point before impact. Identification of the S-4B impact crater proved to be a simple matter because the impact location, as derived from earth-based tracking, displayed a prominent and unique system of mixed light and dark rays. By using the criterion of a dark ray pattern, a reexamination of the Apollo 14 500 mm Hasselblad sequence taken of the Apollo 13 S-4B impact area was made. This examination quickly led to the discovery of the ray system and the impact crater. The study of artificial lunar impact craters, ejecta blankets, and ray systems provides the long-needed link between the various experimental terrestrial impact and explosion craters, and the naturally occurring impact craters on the moon. This elementary study shows that lunar impact crater diameters are closely predictable from a knowledge of the energies involved, at least in the size range considered, and suggests that parameters, such as velocity, may have a profound effect on crater morphology and ejecta blanket albedo.

Whitaker, E. A.↗

NASA NTRS1972

King Crater and its environs, part M

Superb photographs of King Crater were returned by the Apollo 16 crew. The metric and panoramic cameras provided stereoscopic coverage with which high quality topographic maps may be made. King crater, approximately 75 km in diameter and, on the average, 3.8 km deep, is among the most significant features photographed and visually studied from lunar orbit on the Apollo 16 mission. It is the freshest crater on the far side in its size range and has several unique characteristics. (1) Although its ejecta blanket displays very sharp features, the crater does not appear to have extensive ray systems and secondary crater chains. (2) As depicted for the first time by Apollo 16 photographs, the ejecta blanket is strewn with numerous flow fronts and scarps. (3) A flat and smooth, dark, lavalike deposit 15 km across is on the northern rim of the crater. (4) The central peak of the crater is a Y-shaped structure that begins at the southern rim. (5) Bright units that are aligned with the central peak on the northern wall and rim suggest that a preexisting tabular body was excavated by the cratering process.

El-Baz, F.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Mineralogy and origin of Fra Mauro fines and breccias.

Textural features, glassy spherule and glassy aggregate contents, and size-frequency distributions of lithic components of the regolith fines indicate that the Fra Mauro regolith of the smooth terrain is a highly reworked accumulation of debris derived primarily by impact comminution of annealed breccias. Analyses of the glassy spherules suggest that mare-derived debris must amount to less than 5% of the regolith, but exotic materials having the composition of the Fra Mauro breccias (highland-like) cannot be recognized. Breccia samples from the Fra Mauro site include (1) regolith breccias derived by lithification of local regolith material, (2) texturally and compositionally unique white rock breccias that may have been derived from ancient ejecta buried beneath the Fra Mauro formation, and (3) annealed breccias that are excavated samples of the Fra Mauro formation. The latter were deposited as heated impact ejecta, probably by avalanches produced by the Imbrian event and were annealed in situ in a thermal regime perhaps equivalent to that responsible for the pyroxene-hornfels facies of metamorphism in terrestrial rocks.

Quaide, W.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Geologic setting of Apollo 16

Prior to the Apollo 16 mission, the materials of the Cayley Plains and the Descartes Mountains were thought to be mostly of volcanic origin. Rock and soil samples from these regions strongly suggest, however, that they may be products of multiring basin forming impacts, although minor local volcanism is not precluded. The smooth planar surfaces may have been formed initially by Imbrium ejecta which flowed into topographic lows at the distal margins of the lineated Fra Mauro ejecta. It is emphasized, however, that the rocks and soils returned from the Apollo 16 site cannot necessarily be considered representative of the lunar crust in the Descartes region from which they were collected.

Hodges, C. A.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Volatile trace elements and the characterization of the Cayley Formation and the primitive lunar crust

Two types of highland terrain appear to be present at the Apollo 16 landing site. The Plains Formation called Cayley is ubiquitous and blankets even those regions that were presumably a part of the mountainous Descartes Formation. The second type of terrain is that associated with the ejectae from North and South Ray craters. The stratigraphy sampled by the ejectae underlays the Cayley layer as characterized above and may permit a redefinition of Descartes Formation as that which underlays the smooth Plains deposits. These conclusions are based on the concentrations and chemical coherence between elements such as Cl-F-P2O5 and Ru-Os. The primitive lunar crust may be characterized by the type of feldspathic rocks which are enriched in trace elements, such as Cl, Br, U, Te, Ru, and Os, as found in 'rusty' rock 66095 and in 61016; other feldspathic rocks are depleted and may be of secondary origin.

Jovanovic, S.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Cosmic-ray exposure history of North Ray and South Ray material

Cosmic-ray exposure ages for two breccias, 68815 and 69935, in the vicinity of South Ray Crater give consistent values of 2.0 plus or minus 0.2 m.y. when measured by the Kr-81-Kr, Na-22-Ne, and particle track methods. These also agree with estimates of exposure ages made by others using microcrater counts on six rocks in the same vicinity, including 69935. It is likely that this represents the age of South Ray Crater. Soils from stations close to South Ray Crater appear to be mature, well-irradiated materials containing little, if any, of a 2 m.y. component. Reviewing various lines of evidence, it is concluded that there are no compelling reasons to believe that so-called South Ray soils contain a large fraction of South Ray ejecta. However, if they do contain such ejecta, this material must have been well irradiated in situ prior to being thrown out in the South Ray event. A chip from a large boulder on the rim of North Ray Crater gives a Kr-81-Kr age of 50.6 plus or minus 3.8 m.y. Similar ages are found by the Na-22-Ne and the particle track methods. The agreement of this result with other data on large North Ray boulders fixes the age of North Ray Crater as 50 m.y.

Behrmann, C.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Cinder cone growth modeled after Northeast crater, Mount Etna, Sicily

The structure, physical properties of ejecta, ballistics, and growth of Northeast crater, a young pyroclastic cone that originated in 1911 near the summit of Mount Etna, Sicily, were studied in order to form a model of volcano cinder cone growth. Four stages of growth were discerned: (1) a simple cone; (2) a cone with an outward-dipping talus slope; (3) destruction of rounded rim by the inward migration of the upper edge of the talus pile; and (4) extension of limits of talus pile beyond the ballistic limit of ejecta trajectories. The model is used to predict the features of lunar and Martian cones, assuming that they erupted under conditions qualitatively similar to Etna's Northeast crater.

Mcgetchin, T. R.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Lunar basin formation and highland stratigraphy

Multiring impact basins, formed after solidification of the lunar crust, account for most or all premare regional deposits and structures expressed in the lunar landscape and for major topographic and gravity variations. A fresh basin has two or more concentric mountain rings, a lineated ejecta blanket, and secondary impact craters. Crackled material on the floor may be impact melt. The ejecta blanket was emplaced at least partly as a ground-hugging flow and was probably hot. A suggested model of basin formation is that the center lifts up and the rings form by inward collapse during evisceration. The resulting basin is shallow and has a central uplift of the mantle. This results in a central gravity high and a ring low. Later flooding by mare basalt has since modified most near side basins. Highland deposits of plains, furrowed and pitted terrain, and various hills, domes, and craters that were interpreted before the Apollo missions as being volcanic can now be interpreted as being basin related.

Howard, K. A.↗

NASA NTRS1975

The life and times of Big Bertha - Lunar breccia 14321

The assembly and metamorphic history of polymict breccia 14321 are reconstructed. The earliest formed fragmental component of 14321 (microbreccia-1) is dominated by KREEP-rich norite, extruded and subsequently brecciated and lithified in an ejecta blanket at approximately 1000 C in the general region of Mare Imbrium after the Serenitatis impact but prior to the Imbrium impact. This early microbreccia component and lesser amounts of mare-type basalt, microgranite, rhyolite glass, anorthosite and olivine microbreccia were assembled at the Apollo 14 site as part of the Fra Mauro ejecta blanket from the Imbrium impact. The resulting microbreccia-3 incorporates all the lithic types above and accretionary lapilli structures (microbreccia-2) in a dark matrix annealed at approximately 700 C. A later impact on the Fra Mauro excavated and mutually abraded microbreccia-3 and a local, 14321-type, basalt which were assembled into polymict breccia 14321. Final placement of 14321 at its sampling location was accomplished during the minor Cone Crater impact event.

Duncan, A. R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Seismic effects from major basin formations on the moon and Mercury

Grooved and hilly terrains occur at the antipode of major basins on the moon (Imbrium, Orientale) and Mercury (Caloris). Such terrains may represent extensive landslides and surface disruption produced by impact-generated P-waves and antipodal convergence of surface waves. Order-of-magnitude calculations for an Imbrium-size impact on the moon indicate P-wave-induced surface displacements of 10 m at the basin antipode that would arrive prior to secondary ejecta. Comparable surface waves would arrive subsequent to secondary ejecta impacts beyond 1000 km and would increase in magnitude as they converge at the antipode. Other seismically induced surface features include: subdued, furrowed crater walls produced by landslides and concomitant secondary impacts; emplacement and leveling of light plains units owing to seismically induced 'fluidization' of slide material; and perhaps the production and enhancement of deep-seated fractures that led to the concentration of farside lunar maria in the Apollo-Ingenii region.

Schultz, P. H.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Electromagnetic pulse from supernovae

Upper and lower limits to the radiated electromagnetic pulse from a supernova are calculated assuming that the mass fraction of the matter expanding inside the dipole magnetic field shares energy and maintains the pressure balance in the process. A supernova model is described in which the explosion occurs in old low-mass stars containing less than 10% hydrogen in their ejecta and a remnant neutron star is produced. The analysis indicates that although the surface layer of a star of 1 g/cu thickness may be shock-accelerated to an energy factor of about 100 and may expand into the vacuum with an energy factor approaching 10,000, the equatorial magnetic field will retard this expansion so that the inner, more massive ejecta layers will effectively accelerate the presumed canonical dipole magnetic field to greater velocities than would the surface layer alone. A pulse of 10 to the 46th power ergs in a width of about 150 cm will result which will not be affected by circumstellar matter or electron self-radiation effects. It is shown that interstellar matter will attenuate the pulse, but that charge separation may reduce the attenuation and allow a larger pulse to escape.

Colgate, S. A.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Smooth plains and continuous deposits of craters and basins

Apollo 16 photographic data are analyzed which suggest that smooth plains are related in origin to large primary cratering events, and that the plains material is mainly the ejecta of local and regional primary impact craters with only minor contributions from distant craters and basins. This material, then, has been emplaced in its present location by secondaries of distant craters and directly by primary craters near the site. Calculations indicate that the material excavated from large primary craters typically excavates much larger amounts of material from local terrain when it impacts in the secondary crater field. There is a correlation between the extent of development of smooth plains inside large high-land craters and the erosional state of the crater rims and walls. It is incorrect to consider the continuous deposits to be solely basin ejecta.

Oberbeck, V. R.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Descartes Mountains and Cayley Plains - Composition and provenance

Trace element compositions of petrographically characterized 2-4 mm lithic fragments from Apollo 16 soil samples are used to calculate initial REE concentrations in liquids in equilibrium with lunar anorthosites and to discuss the provenance of the Cayley Formation. Lithic fragments may be subdivided into four groups: (1) ANT rocks, (2) K- and SiO2-rich mesostasis-bearing rocks, (3) poikiloblastic rocks, and (4) (spinel) troctolites. Model liquids in equilibrium with essentially monominerallic anorthosites have initial REE concentrations 5-8 times those of chondrites. The REE contents of K- and SiO2-rich mesostasis-bearing rocks and poikiloblastic rocks are dominated by the mesostasis phases. ANT rocks appear to be more abundant in the Descartes Mountains, while poikiloblastic rocks appear to be more abundant in the Cayley Plains. Poikiloblastic rocks have intermediate to high LIL-element concentrations yet the low gamma-ray activity of Mare Orientale implies low LIL-element concentrations. Consequently, it is unlikely that the Cayley Formation is Orientale ejecta. A local origin as ejecta from smaller impacts is a more plausible model for the deposition of the Cayley Formation.

Drake, M. J.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Rock elastic properties and near-surface structure at Taurus-Littrow

Linear strain measurements are presented for two lunar basalts, 14310,82 and 71055,15 and one breccia, 15498,23 to 5 kb hydrostatic pressure. Compressional and shear acoustic velocities to 5 kb are also presented for the basalts, 14310,82 and 71055,15. These elastic properties, along with geological, seismological and rock mechanics considerations are consistent with a model of the structure of the Taurus-Littrow valley as follows, a thin surface regolith overlying a fractured mixture of basalt flows and ejecta material which in turn overlies a coherent breccia of highland ejecta debris.

Trice, R.↗

NASA NTRS1975

Horizontal transport of the regolith, modification of features, and erosion rates on the lunar surface

Impact-ejecta systematics are developed for the smaller cratering events which, with cumulative crater populations observed in young mare regions and on Copernicus ejecta fields, yield rates and a range distribution for the horizontal transport of material by impact processes. The deposition rate for material originating more than 1 m away is found to be about 8 mm per million years. Material from 10 km away accumulates at a rate of about 0.08 mm per million years, providing a steady influx of foreign material. From the degradation of boulder tracks, a rate of 5 plus or minus 3 cm per million years is computed for the filling of shallow lunar depressions on slopes. Mass wastage and downslope movement of bedrock outcroppings on Hadley Rille seem to be proceeding at a rate of about 8 mm per million years. The Camelot profile is suggestive of a secondary impact feature.

Arvidson, R.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Analysis of LEAM experiment response to charged particles

The objectives of the Lunar Ejecta and Meteorites Experiment (LEAM) were to measure the long-term variations in cosmic dust influx rates and the extent and nature of the lunar ejecta. While analyzing these characteristics in the data, it was discovered that a majority of the events could not be associated with hypervelocity particle impacts of the type usually identified with cosmic dust, but could only be correlated with the lunar surface and local sun angle. The possibility that charged particles could be incident on the sensors led to an analysis of the electronics to determine if such signals could cause the large pulse height analysis (PHA) signals. A qualitative analysis of the PHA circuit showed that an alternative mode of operation existed if the input signal were composed of pulses with pulse durations very long compared to the durations for which it was designed. This alternative mode would give large PHA outputs even though the actual input amplitudes were small. This revelation led to the examination of the sensor and its response to charged particles to determine the type of signals that could be expected.

Perkins, D.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Mercurian volcanism questioned

It is noted that reports of the Mariner 10 television team favor a volcanic origin for the plains materials on Mercury. The present paper advances the argument that the Mercurian plains more closely resemble the lunar light plains (which are not of volcanic origin) in terms of stratigraphic relations, surface morphology, and albedo contrast. It is suggested that the plains on Mercury may have been formed from impact materials, possibly impact melts or other basin ejecta which behaved more like a fluid than did the lunar ejecta. It is concluded that if the old intercrater plains and younger smooth plains of Mercury were formed from impact materials, then Mercury underwent neither the volcanic interlude between early cratering episodes nor the late mare-type volcanic phase deduced by the Mariner 10 investigators.

Wilhelms, D. E.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Preliminary results from the Viking orbiter imaging experiment

During its first 30 orbits around Mars, the Viking orbiter took approximately 1000 photographic frames of the surface of Mars with resolutions that ranged from 100 meters to a little more than 1 kilometer. Most were of potential landing sites in Chryse Planitia and Cydonia and near Capri Chasma. Contiguous high-resolution coverage in these areas has led to an increased understanding of surface processes, particularly cratering, fluvial, and mass-wasting phenomena. Most of the surfaces examined appear relatively old, channel features abound, and a variety of features suggestive of permafrost have been identified. The ejecta patterns around large craters imply that fluid flow of ejecta occurred after ballistic deposition. Variable features in the photographed area appear to have changed little since observed 5 years ago from Mariner 9. A variety of atmospheric phenomena were observed, including diffuse morning hazes, both stationary and moving discrete white clouds, and wave clouds covering extensive areas.

Carr, M. H.↗