Other
Scientific paper
Mar 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009psrd.repte.132t&link_type=abstract
Planetary Science Research Discoveries
Other
Moon, Lunar, Magma Ocean, Zircon, Origin Of The Moon, Magma Ocean Concept
Scientific paper
Cosmochemists are reasonably sure that a global ocean of magma surrounded the Moon when it formed. This was a monumentally important event in lunar history, forming the primary feldspar-rich crust of the lunar highlands and setting the stage for subsequent melting inside the Moon to make additional crustal rocks. Numerous questions remain about the complex array of processes that could have operated in such a huge amount of magma, and about how long it took to solidify the magma ocean. Alex Nemchin and colleagues at Curtin University of Technology (Australia), Westfailische Wilhelms-Universitat (Munster, Germany), and the Johnson Space Center (Houston, Texas, USA) dated a half-millimeter grain of the mineral zircon (ZrSiO4) in an impact melt breccia from the Apollo 17 landing site. They used an ion microprobe to measure the concentrations of lead and uranium isotopes in the crystal, finding that one portion of the grain recorded an age of 4.417 ± 0.006 billion years. Because zircon does not crystallize until more than 95% of the magma ocean has crystallized, this age effectively marks the end of magma ocean crystallization. Magma ocean cooling and crystallization began soon after the Moon-forming giant impact. Other isotopic studies show that this monumental event occurred 4.517 billion years ago. Thus, the difference between the two ages means that the magma ocean took 100 million years to solidify.
No associations
LandOfFree
Time to Solidify an Ocean of Magma does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Time to Solidify an Ocean of Magma, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Time to Solidify an Ocean of Magma will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1731554