Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008psrd.repte.127t&link_type=abstract
Planetary Science Research Discoveries
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Moon, Lunar, Volcanic Glasses, Volatile
Scientific paper
Detailed analysis of the first lunar samples collected by Apollo 11 astronauts in 1969 revealed no evidence that lunar magmas contained even a smidgeon of water. Analysis of samples returned by subsequent missions did not contradict this important observation. It became a tenant of lunar science that the Moon is bone dry. But is it really completely dry? Recent analyses of lunar volcanic glasses suggest that a smidgeon, maybe even a mega-smidgeon, of water is present. Alberto Saal and his colleagues at Brown University, the Carnegie Institution of Washington, and Case Western Reserve University have measured volatile elements in lunar volcanic glass beads, using ion microprobe capabilities not available until a few years ago. They measured OH- (hydroxyl) anions (which are fragments of the H2O) molecule). All the measurements (of OH-, sulfur, fluorine, and chlorine) had higher concentrations in the center of the 276-micrometer beads, and decreased progressively towards the
surface. This is a classic diffusion profile, suggesting that these elements were present in the droplets of magma when erupted, but began to be lost to the surrounding volcanic gases. Saal and his colleagues calculated how much of these volatiles were present upon eruption. They concluded that the lunar magmas contained about 745 parts per million of water, similar to the amount in magmas produced at mid-ocean ridges on Earth. The results imply that the region of the lunar interior that melted to make the magmas contained about the same amount as in the Earth's depleted upper mantle, which is way more than a smidgeon. This may have implications for the origin of the Moon. It certainly will spark new research on lunar volatiles--and lots of arguments!
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