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At least 775 records · Page 43
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1972

Comparative petrology of Apollo 16 sample 68415 and Apollo 14 samples 14276 and 14310.

Petrographic and electron microprobe studies of Apollo 16 igneous rock 68415 and Apollo 14 rocks 14276 and 14310 show that all three samples differ from the mare basalts and are characterized by plagioclase as the first liquidus phase and by the abundance of plagioclase which is in part cumulate in origin. Major and minor element abundances and isotopic data prohibit the derivation of rocks like any of these samples from one another by magmatic fractionation during their crystallization. They could have originated by partial melting of an old, more Al-rich source material without isotopic equilibration with the residuum, by complete melting of three independent sources, or by contamination with old radiogenic material. The existence of such feldspathic basalts indicates that the generation of Al-rich magmas may have been an important and widespread lunar process.

Gancarz, A. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Spinel troctolite and anorthosite in Apollo 16 samples.

Review of the examination results on two Apollo 16 rocks recovered from the lunar highlands which probably represent contrasting types of 'primitive' lunar cumulates. One is a microbreccia containing a large lithic fragment of spinel troctolite, while the other is a shock-brecciated anorthosite. The reviewed results suggest that, if the two rock groups formed from the same parent magma type, the spinel troctolite must have formed early in the differentiation sequence as the result of crystal settling in the melt, whereas the anorthosite must have formed as a later cumulate, possibly by flotation.

Prinz, M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Icelandic geothermal activity and the mercury of the Greenland icecap.

Aerometric studies concerning the level of atmospheric mercury were conducted at a number of sites in Iceland during June and July 1972. Samples from widely separated locations yielded Hg concentrations well above the range commonly cited for unpolluted air. Atmospheric mercury may be introduced in part by degassing fluid magmas. However, the release from fine ash could also serve as a vehicle. It is pointed out that from the mid-17th century to the present, Iceland has recorded nearly 50 volcanic eruptions.

Siegel, B. Z.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Ortho and para-armalcolite samples in Apollo 17.

Two paragenetically contrasting forms of armalcolite are present in basalts from the Apollo 17 Taurus-Littrow landing site. These armalcolites differ in optical properties, in crystal habit and in their distribution between coarse and fine grained rocks. It is proposed to call the two armalcolite forms ortho-armalcolite and para-armalcolite. Texural relationships and the evidence of experimental melting show that ortho-armalcolite is always the first crystalline phase to appear from unusually titanium rich magmas. The origin of para-armalcolite is not yet fully understood.

Haggerty, S. E.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Structural lineaments in the southern Sierra Nevada, California

The author has identified the following significant results. Several lineaments observed in ERTS-1 MSS imagery over the southern Sierra Nevada of California have been studied in the field in an attempt to explain their geologic origins and significance. The lineaments are expressed topographically as alignments of linear valleys, elongate ridges, breaks in slope or combinations of these. Natural outcrop exposures along them are characteristically poor. Two lineaments were found to align with foliated metamorphic roof pendants and screens within granitic country rocks. Along other lineaments, the most consistant correlations were found to be alignments of diabase dikes of Cretaceous age, and younger cataclastic shear zones and minor faults. The location of several Pliocene and Pleistocene volcanic centers at or near lineament intersections suggests that the lineaments may represent zones of crustal weakness which have provided conduits for rising magma.

Liggett, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

The Mendeleev Crater chain: A description and discussion of origin

A 113-kilometer-long crater chain on the floor of Mendeleev Crater is the best morphological example of several similar chains on the lunar far side. Age relationships relative to Mendeleev Crater indicate that it is a younger feature that may have developed over a fault parallel to the lunar grid system. The dumbbell shape of the chain may be related to a differential stress along a fault crossing the floor that resulted in varying resistance to magma invasion.

Eppler, D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Phase equilibria study of pseudobrookite type minerals

Pseudobrookite, is found in volcanic rocks, and the mineral armalcolite ((Fe,Mg)Ti2O5) found in the Apollo 11 and subsequent lunar samples seems to be unique to the moon. In plutonic rocks on the earth, ilmenite and rutile were found with what appears to be an equilibrium liquidus texture, while on the moon armalcolite often appears to be the primary liquidus phase among Ti-oxides. This suggests that total pressure may be a factor in the formation of these minerals, and a knowledge of the phase relations in this system yields information about the pressure under which a given magma crystallized.

Friel, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Apollo 16 returned lunar samples - Lithophile trace-element abundances

Lithium, K, Rb, Sr, Ba, rare-earth, Zr, and Hf abundances have been determined by mass-spectrometric isotope-dilution for Apollo 16 soils, anorthosite 61016, and 'basalt' 68415 whole-rock and separated pyroxene and plagioclase. Our sample of 61016 is similar to some other lunar anorthosites in lithophile trace-element concentrations but at a slightly lower level. It was probably accumulated from a little differentiated basalt. Basalt 68415 might be a homogeneous mixture of KREEP and anorthosite material; it appears to have crystallized under conditions as reducing as those holding for mare-basalts. The soil fines cover only a limited compositional range. No obvious chemical differences were noted between the Descartes and Cayley formations. Most of the compositional variation of the soils can be accounted for in terms of the addition of plagioclase. The existence of very high alumina basalt as an independent magma-type appears debatable in view of its KREEP-like lithophile trace-element relative concentrations and the observed lunar radioactivity distribution.

Philpotts, J. 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

The thermal state and internal structure of Mars

The evolution and state of the interior of Mars are studied through the use of theoretically calculated thermal history and density models. Invoking melting of an Fe-FeS mixture permits initial core formation within the first billion years. At the present time the core radius ranges from about 1300 to 1800 km, depending on composition, and the core is liquid even if the composition is varied from the eutectic. Large-scale differentiation of the silicates occurs in the last 2 b.y. When the mean density is 3.96 g/cu cm, the radius is 3389 km, and the moment of inertia factor is 0.377, the density models indicate high mantle densities near 3.74 g/cu cm. Thus an FeO content of about 29% is implied, consistent with the production of a low-viscosity magma. Chemical models of the Martian mantle indicate a composition primarily of olivine with about 56% forsterite.

Johnston, D. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Genesis of lunar regolith

From comparing the mineral and chemical composition of regoliths with the compositions of primary magmatic lunar rocks, it is shown that mare regolith is enriched in aluminum and depleted in iron, titanium, and chromium. This effect cannot be accounted for only by the admixture of highland anorthositic material. The entire array of geochemical data points to the considerable role of depth-wise differentiation of the magmatic material in forming the composition of the primary lunar rocks and, naturally, the composition of the regolith. During regolith formation, processes of the effervescing of magma as it outflowed at the lunar surface were of primary importance. Impacts by micrometeorites represent another important factor.

Vinogradov, A. P.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Lunar igneous rocks and the nature of the lunar interior

Lunar igneous rocks are interpreted, which can give useful information about mineral assemblages and mineral chemistry as a function of depth in the lunar interior. Terra rocks, though intensely brecciated, reveal, in their chemistry, evidence for a magmatic history. Partial melting of feldspathic lunar crustal material occurred in the interval 4.6 to 3.9 gy. Melting of ilmenite-bearing cumulates at depths near 100 km produced parent magmas for Apollo 11 and 17 titaniferous mare basalts in the interval 3.8 to 3.6 gy. Melting of ilmenite-free olivine pyroxenites at depths greater than 200 km produced low-titanium mare basalts in the interval 3.4 to 3.1 gy. No younger igneous rocks have yet been recognized among the lunar samples and present-day melting seems to be limited to depths greater than 1000 km.

Hays, J. F.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ion-absorption band analysis for the discrimination of iron-rich zones

The author has identified the following significant results. A technique which combines digital computer processing and color composition was devised for detecting hydrothermally altered areas and for discriminating among many rock types in an area in south-central Nevada. Subtle spectral reflectance differences among the rock types are enhanced by ratioing and contrast-stretching MSS radiance values for form ratio images which subsequently are displayed in color-ratio composites. Landform analysis of Nevada shows that linear features compiled without respect to length results in approximately 25 percent coincidence with mapped faults. About 80 percent of the major lineaments coincides with mapped faults, and substantial extension of locally mapped faults is commonly indicated. Seven major lineament systems appear to be old zones of crustal weakness which have provided preferred conduits for rising magma through periodic reactivation.

Rowan, L. C.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Lunar deposits of possible pyroclastic origin

Orange glass droplets sampled from the Apollo 17 site were found to be both chemically and texturally homogeneous. None of these droplets, which are of possible pyroclastic origin, contained shock-damaged crystals which are common in glass produced by meteorite impacts. Black droplets are apparently the partially crystallized equivalents of the orange glass. Since chemically and texturally homogeneous glass droplets are known to form in terrestrial lava fountains of basaltic melt, the orange glasses from Apollo 11 and 17 sites and the green glasses from the Apollo 15 site may have formed in lava fountains of low-viscosity lunar basaltic magmas.

Heiken, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Lunar mascons - Another model and its implications

A mascon model is proposed in which the mass excess of the mare basalts in the circular maria is supported isostatically by mass deficits at depth. The model predicts the observed positive gravity anomalies surrounded by negative ring anomalies and explains the absence of gravity anomalies over the irregular maria. The model implies that mare basalts were derived by partial melting of a source region at depth due to pressure relief resulting from the excavation of the circular mare basins, and that the crystalline residuum in the source region is of lower density than the original source rock. The trace element enrichment and near cotectic character of Apollo 11 and 12 lavas reported by some investigators may be caused by extensive magma fractionation enroute from an origin in the circular maria to the final, distant emplacement sites.

Kunze, A. W. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Abundances of the group IVB elements, Ti, Zr, and Hf and implications of their ratios in lunar materials

New data on Zr and Hf abundances in samples from recent Apollo missions and a few from earlier missions are presented. The data confirm our previous suggestion of a modest Zr-Hf fractionation among lunar rock types. The four major lunar rock types can be readily distinguished, based on Zr and Hf abundances and Zr/Hf mass ratios. Mare basalts exhibit mean Zr abundances ranging from 111 ppm for Apollo 15 to 534 ppm for Apollo 11 and low Zr/Hf mass ratios ranging from 34 to 39. KREEP basalts are characterized by very high Zr contents (mean = 1380 ppm Zr) and high Zr/Hf ratio of 47. Anorthosites exhibit extremely low Zr and Hf contents and possibly very low Zr/Hf ratios. Arguments that the fractionation may be partly due to the presence of Zr(3+) in lunar magmas while Hf remains as Hf(4+) are presented. These data for Zr and Hf together with data for Ti recently obtained on the same samples in our laboratory are discussed in support of a modified two-stage lunar crustal evolution model.

Ehmann, W. D.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A study of Pb-204 partition in lunar samples using terrestrial and meteoritic analogues

Pb-204, Bi, Tl, and Zn have been measured in Apollo 16 samples and Apollo 17 orange soil. These data in addition to already reported Apollo 14 and 15 Pb-204 results and literature data are used to support the Pb-204-metallic phase coherence. The partition of Pb-204 into very fine metallic grains appears to be the result of an impact process rather than metal segregation in a magma.

Allen, R. O., Jr.↗