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At least 811 records · Page 45

Spatial distribution of Ar-40/Ar-39 ages in lunar breccia 14301.

The distribution of stable and radioactive argon isotopes in a lunar breccia has been measured in situ by laser probe mass spectrometry. This new technique determines the spatial distribution of Ar-40/Ar-39 ages on less than .1 milligram of material. Calculated Ar-40/Ar-39 ages of clasts within this breccia are 3.7 and 2.9 b.y. Parentless radiogenic Ar-40 exists within the fine-grained matrix and appears to have been trapped simultaneously with solar argon. This 'atmosphere' of ambient gas appears to have been incorporated into the rock by an impact event not more than 3 b.y. ago.

Megrue, G. H.↗

Apollo 16 neutron stratigraphy.

The Apollo 16 soils have the largest low-energy neutron fluences yet observed in lunar samples. Variations in the isotopic ratios Gd-158/Gd-157 and Sm-150/Sm-149 (up to 1.9 and 2.0%, respectively) indicate that the low-energy neutron fluence in the Apollo 16 drill stem increases with depth throughout the section sampled. Such a variation implies that accretion has been the dominant regolith 'gardening' process at this location. The data may be fit by a model of continuous accretion of pre-irradiated material or by models involving as few as two slabs of material in which the first slab could have been deposited as long as 1 b.y. ago. The ratio of the number of neutrons captured per atom by Sm to the number captured per atom by Gd is lower than in previously measured lunar samples, which implies a lower energy neutron spectrum at this site. The variation of this ratio with chemical composition is qualitatively similar to that predicted by Lingenfelter et al. (1972). Variations are observed in the ratio Gd-152/Gd-160 which are fluence-correlated and probably result from neutron capture by Eu-151.

Russ, G. P., III↗

Evaluation of ERTS data for certain oceanographic uses

The author has identified the following significant results. (1) Sunglint effects over water can be expected in ERTS-1 images whenever solar elevations exceed 55 deg. (2) Upwellings were viewed coincidently by ERTS-1 and NOAA-2 in Lake Michigan on two occasions during August 1973. (3) A large oil slick was identified 100 km off the Maryland coast in the Atlantic Ocean. Volume of the oil was estimated to be least 200,000 liters (50,000 gallons). (4) ERTS-1 observations of turbidity patterns in Lake St. Clair provide circulation information that correlates well with physical model studies made 10 years ago. (5) Good correlation has been established between ERTS-1 water color densities and NOAA-2 thermal infrared surface temperature measurements. Initial comparisons have been made in Lake Erie during March 1973.

Strong, A. E.↗

A study of morphology, provenance, and movement of desert sand seas in Africa, Asia, and Australia

The author has identified the following significant results. The regional studies of sand seas made possible by analysis of ERTS-1 imagery have established that widespread patterns of eolian sand deposition exist in many places and that similarities and differences in these patterns can be measured and compared, on a worldwide scale. Analysis of the relationships of depositional patterns to controlling factors will require completion of the color mosaics of the test sites, and acquisition of adequate supporting ground truth data, especially wind data. Once analyses are complete, the results will be applicable to the regional study of ancient eolian sandstones. Such sandstones were formed many millions of years ago under conditions believed to be identical to those under which the sand seas that are observed being formed today. The understanding of the deposition of eolian sands provided by analysis of ERTS-1 imagery will be applicable to an understanding of the structure and distribution of ancient eolian sandstones and their potential as reservoirs of oil and water.

Mckee, E. D.↗

Recommended reference figures for geophysics and geodesy

Specific reference figures are recommended for consistent use in geophysics and geodesy. The selection of appropriate reference figure for geophysical studies suggests a relationship between the Antarctic negative gravity anomaly and the great shrinkage of the Antarctic ice cap about 4-5 million years ago. The depression of the south polar regions relative to the north polar regions makes the Southern Hemisphere flatter than the Northern Hemisphere, thus producing the third harmonic (pear-shaped) contribution to the earth's figure.

Khan, M. A.↗

Relative ages of some near-side Mare units based on Apollo 17 metric photographs

Relative flux ages were determined for 110 areas on parts of Serenitatis, Vaporum, and Imbrium, using Apollo 17 metric photographs. The crater-morphology technique for determining relative ages is described. It is concluded that these maria formed over an interval of 1.5 billion years, extending from 3.7 to 2.2 billion years ago.

Boyce, J. M.↗

Constraints of magnetic field which magnetized the Farmington meteorite parant body

Analysis indicates the following: (1) the parent body of the Farmington meteorite experienced sufficient heating (probably from shock accompanying a major collision occurring 520 million years ago) to erase the record of any magnetization acquired prior to that event; therefore, (2)the observed magnetization in the Farmington meteorite must have been acquired after the collision; and (3)shockproduced magnetization is unlikely, because of the finite cooling time indicated by the burial depth of approximately several meters. The possibility of shock or irradiation-produced magnetizations is proposed as an experimental study, even though neither appears likely to have produced the magnetic field which produced the magnetization in the parent body of the Farmington meteorite.

Rowe, M. W.↗

Lunar surface dynamics: Some general conclusions and new results from Apollo 16 and 17

Exposure ages of Apollo 17 rocks as measured by tracks and the Kr-Kr rare gas method are reported. Concordant ages of 22 - or + 1 million year (my) are obtained for the station 6 boulder sample 76315. This value is interpreted as the time when the station 6 boulder was emplaced in its present position. Reasonable agreement is also obtained by the two methods for another station 6 boulder, sample 76015. Discordant ages (respectively 5 and 28 my by the track and rare gas methods) are obtained for the station 7 boulder sample, 77135, indicating that the boulder was emplaced at least 5 my ago. The 72 my exposure age of 75035, in general agreement with previous measurements of approximately 85 my for another Camelot boulder, may well date the formation of Camelot. Rock 76015 was split and one surface exposed to the sky through a very small solid angle.

Crozaz, G.↗

Which electromagnetic equations apply in rotating coordinates

It was discovered some years ago by Schiff that two equations for fields in vacuum do not carry over without change from an inertial frame to a frame with rotating axes of space coordinates, even for a region with all velocities much lower than the speed of light. However, the belief that all four of the field equations are invariant under such conditions is still prevalent and causes misconceptions in physical applications, including astrophysical and geophysical ones. The purpose of the present paper is therefore to call attention to Schiff's discovery, discussing its basis and its extension to fields in material media, and to interpret the additional terms that must be added to the equations in order to obtain valid transformations to rotating axes of coordinates.

Webster, D. L.↗

Rb-Sr studies of lunar breccias and soils

Investigation results on the Rb-Sr systematics and K concentrations for two Apollo 14 breccias and several Apollo 15, 16, and 17 soils are reviewed. The reported results include the finding that plagioclase clasts from microbreccia fragments in Apollo 16 soil are distinctly too radiogenic to have been in equilibrium with the whole rock fragments 4 b.y. ago.

Mark, R. K.↗

On the formation of the lunar mascons

A new mascon hypothesis is proposed which accounts for: (1) the existence of lunar mascons for more than 3 b.y., (2) the evidence for extensive volcanic activity from 3.7 to 3.2 b.y. ago, (3) the existence of negative gravity anomaly rings, (4) insufficient mare material in Mare Orientale, and (5) the lack of mascons associated with craters smaller than 200 km diameter. Moreover, it provides a simple mechanism for mass transfer into the basins. The hypothesis is based on the perturbations introduced into a spherically symmetric thermal evolution model of the moon by a giant impact.

Arkani-Hamed, J.↗

Technology for low noise aircraft - The NASA Quiet Engines

Review of the major goals, procedures, and results of the Quiet Engine Program that was initiated four years ago and is now nearing completion. This program has developed and demonstrated, in full-scale, experimental engine tests, technology advances which, if applied to the design of future aircraft, will help produce equipment with noise levels considerably lower than the older narrow-body aircraft and significantly lower than the new wide-body aircraft flying at present. However, the application of this noise reduction technology will result in increases in aircraft operating costs. Future aircraft noise reduction research should, therefore, consider improvements in the economics associated with noise reduction technology.

Ciepluch, C. C.↗

Effect of a giant impact on the thermal evolution of the moon

The effects of a giant impact on the thermal evolution of the moon are investigated. It is found that an impact similar to that of Imbrium creates lateral temperature variations of more than 200 deg within the upper 200 km of the moon. Starting with a common lithosphere of 70 km thickness, the lithosphere beneath the basin grows to 200 km in thickness within 0.5 b.y. after the impact, while that beneath the highlands reaches to only 100 km in thickness during this period. The model presented for the thermal evolution of the moon is compatible with (1) the existence of mascons for more than 3 b.y., (2) the late magmatization and subsequent volcanic activities during 4 to 3 b.y. ago, and (3) the negative gravity rings around the large mascons.

Arkani-Hamed, J.↗

Lunar magnetism and an early cold moon

Models of lunar magnetism have involved dynamo action in a fluid core in an early hot moon; an early cold moon magnetized some time before 4 billion years ago, which has subsequently heated up; and local field sources which, in some models, are related to impact. The present work examines the second possibility and shows that, provided the moon contained a few percent of metallic iron and was exposed to an extra-lunar field of about 10 or 20 oersted while much of it was still below the Curie point of iron, a restricted class of thermal evolution models, which satisfy the known constraints, can be derived.

Strangway, D. W.↗

The evolution of the moon

The thermal evolution of the moon as it can be defined by the available data and theoretical calculations is discussed. A wide assortment of geological, geochemical and geophysical data constrain both the present-day temperatures and the thermal history of the lunar interior. On the basis of these data, the moon is characterized as a differentiated body with a crust, a 1000-km-thick solid mantle (lithosphere) and an interior region (core) which may be partially molten. The presence of a crust indicates extensive melting and differentiation early in the lunar history. The ages of lunar samples define the chronology of igneous activity on the lunar surface. This covers a time span of about 1.5 billion years, from the origin to about 3.16 billion years ago. Most theoretical models require extensive melting early in the lunar history, and the outward differentiation of radioactive heat sources.

Toksoz, M. N.↗

The riddle of the redshifts

Somewhat more than 40 years ago Hubble and Humason conclusively established that the redshifts of the galaxies are proportional to their apparent brightnesses. With this discovery came the general conclusion that the redshifts were due to the Doppler effect and that the universe is expanding. The discovery of QSOs with large redshifts led to the conclusion that if the redshifts were measures of distance the objects were at immense distances and in general some 50 times brighter than most luminous galaxies. Arguments for and against the cosmological redshift hypothesis are evaluated, giving attention to QSO variability, questions of relativistic expansion, the redshift-apparent magnitude diagram, the redshift-angular diameter relation, the distribution of redshifts, multiple redshifts, and distance measurements in extragalactic astronomy.

Burbidge, G.↗

Chemistry of the moon's surface

The chemical composition of the lunar surface is discussed on the basis of analyses of Apollo samples. Three new minerals, armalcolite, pyroxferroite and tranquillityite, high abundances of Ti, Zr, Sr, Y, Nb, U and Th, and a predominance of radiogenic isotopes of Pb are noted as the prominent features unraveled by sample analysis. Evidence is indicated to support the conclusion that the lunar rocks investigated are products of partial fusion and magmatic crystallization modified in much of the material by mechanical breakup and shock melting, and containing a small amount of meteoritic material. It is inferred from the results that the surface rocks are igneous in origin and that the moon has been a passive object since 3000 million years ago.

Mason, B.↗