scholarly journals Geophysical evidence for melt in the deep lunar interior and implications for lunar evolution

2014 ◽  
Vol 119 (10) ◽  
pp. 2197-2221 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Khan ◽  
J. A. D. Connolly ◽  
A. Pommier ◽  
J. Noir
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Lunar Evolution

Geological Characteristics of the Moon

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Long Xiao ◽  
James W. Head
Keyword(s):  
The Moon ◽  
Planetary Evolution ◽  
Geological Characteristics ◽  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Geological Processes ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Geological Features ◽  
History Of ◽  
Lunar Evolution ◽  
Human Exploration

The geological characteristics of the Moon provide the fundamental data that permit the study of the geological processes that have formed and modified the crust, that record the state and evolution of the lunar interior, and that identify the external processes that have been important in lunar evolution. Careful documentation of the stratigraphic relationships among these features can then be used to reconstruct the sequence of events and the geological history of the Moon. These results can then be placed in the context of the geological evolution of the terrestrial planets, including Earth. The Moon’s global topography and internal structures include landforms and features that comprise the geological characteristics of its surface. The Moon is dominated by the ancient cratered highlands and the relatively younger flat and smooth volcanic maria. Unlike the current geological characteristics of Earth, the major geological features of the Moon (impact craters and basins, lava flows and related features, and tectonic scarps and ridges) all formed predominantly in the first half of the solar system’s history. In contrast to the plate-tectonic dominated Earth, the Moon is composed of a single global lithospheric plate (a one-plate planet) that has preserved the record of planetary geological features from the earliest phases of planetary evolution. Exciting fundamental outstanding questions form the basis for the future international robotic and human exploration of the Moon.

Lunar Interior: Constraint on Basaltic Composition

Science ◽  
1968 ◽  
Vol 160 (3833) ◽  
pp. 1256-1257
Author(s):  
G. W. Wetherill
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Basaltic Composition

scholarly journals Remotely distinguishing and mapping endogenic water on the Moon

2017 ◽  
Vol 375 (2094) ◽  
pp. 20150391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel L. Klima ◽  
Noah E. Petro
Keyword(s):  
Solar Wind ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Solar System ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Testing Hypotheses ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Geological Features ◽  
Insight Into

Water and/or hydroxyl detected remotely on the lunar surface originates from several sources: (i) comets and other exogenous debris; (ii) solar-wind implantation; (iii) the lunar interior. While each of these sources is interesting in its own right, distinguishing among them is critical for testing hypotheses for the origin and evolution of the Moon and our Solar System. Existing spacecraft observations are not of high enough spectral resolution to uniquely characterize the bonding energies of the hydroxyl molecules that have been detected. Nevertheless, the spatial distribution and associations of H, OH − or H 2 O with specific lunar lithologies provide some insight into the origin of lunar hydrous materials. The global distribution of OH − /H 2 O as detected using infrared spectroscopic measurements from orbit is here examined, with particular focus on regional geological features that exhibit OH − /H 2 O absorption band strengths that differ from their immediate surroundings. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The origin, history and role of water in the evolution of the inner Solar System’.

scholarly journals Capture of interplanetary bodies in geocentric orbits and early lunar evolution

2005 ◽  
Vol 114 (6) ◽  
pp. 601-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malapaka Shivakumar ◽  
N. Bhandari
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Evolution

scholarly journals Solid state convection models of the lunar internal temperature

1977 ◽  
Vol 285 (1327) ◽  
pp. 523-536 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Solid State ◽  
Creep Behaviour ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Internal Temperature ◽  
Thermal Models ◽  
Lunar Interior

Thermal models of the Moon, which include cooling by subsolidus creep and consideration of the creep behaviour of geologic material, provide estimates of 1500- 1600 K for the temperature, and 10 21-1022 cm2/s for the viscosity of the deep lunar interior.

Evidence for a sulfur-undersaturated lunar interior from the solubility of sulfur in lunar melts and sulfide-silicate partitioning of siderophile elements

2018 ◽  
Vol 231 ◽  
pp. 130-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.S. Steenstra ◽  
A.X. Seegers ◽  
J. Eising ◽  
B.G.J. Tomassen ◽  
F.P.F. Webers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lunar Interior ◽  
Siderophile Elements

scholarly journals Scientific Knowledge of the Moon, 1609 to 1969

Geosciences ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
Charles Wood
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Knowledge ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Change Over Time ◽  
Critical Questions ◽  
Lunar Evolution ◽  
Lunar Craters ◽  
Over Time

Discoveries stemming from the Apollo 11 mission solved many problems that had vexed scientists for hundreds of years. Research and discoveries over the preceding 360 years identified many critical questions and led to a variety of answers: How did the Moon form, how old is its surface, what is the origin of lunar craters, does the Moon have an atmosphere, how did the Moon change over time, is the Moon geologically active today, and did life play any role in lunar evolution? In general, scientists could not convincingly answer most of these questions because they had too little data and too little understanding of astronomy and geology, and were forced to rely on reasoning and speculation, in some cases wasting hundreds of years of effort. Surprisingly, by 1969, most of the questions had been correctly answered, but a paucity of data made it uncertain which answers were correct.

scholarly journals The New Moon: Major Advances in Lunar Science Enabled by Compositional Remote Sensing from Recent Missions

Geosciences ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 498
Author(s):  
Deepak Dhingra
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Evolution ◽  
The Moon ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Lunar Science ◽  
Lunar Interior ◽  
New Findings ◽  
Lunar Samples ◽  
Resource Exploration ◽  
Globally Distributed

Volatile-bearing lunar surface and interior, giant magmatic-intrusion-laden near and far side, globally distributed layer of purest anorthosite (PAN) and discovery of Mg-Spinel anorthosite, a new rock type, represent just a sample of the brand new perspectives gained in lunar science in the last decade. An armada of missions sent by multiple nations and sophisticated analyses of the precious lunar samples have led to rapid evolution in the understanding of the Moon, leading to major new findings, including evidence for water in the lunar interior. Fundamental insights have been obtained about impact cratering, the crystallization of the lunar magma ocean and conditions during the origin of the Moon. The implications of this understanding go beyond the Moon and are therefore of key importance in solar system science. These new views of the Moon have challenged the previous understanding in multiple ways and are setting a new paradigm for lunar exploration in the coming decade both for science and resource exploration. Missions from India, China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and several private ventures promise continued exploration of the Moon in the coming years, which will further enrich the understanding of our closest neighbor. The Moon remains a key scientific destination, an active testbed for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) activities, an outpost to study the universe and a future spaceport for supporting planetary missions.

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