Computer Science
Scientific paper
Jan 1998
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998lpico.957...54w&link_type=abstract
Origin of the Earth and Moon, Proceedings of the Conference held 1-3 December, 1998 in Monterey, California. LPI Contribution N
Computer Science
1
Lithosphere, Moon, Tectonics, Topography, Lunar Evolution, Selenology, Lunar Geology, Basalt, Simulation, Finite Element Method
Scientific paper
The lack of global compressive tectonic features on the Moon led MacDonald to conclude that its radius did not change by more than +/- 1 km since the emplacement of the mare basalts 3.8 b.y. ago. Solomon showed that at the surface of a layered elastic body, the relation between the radial contraction and the tectonic stress is given by sigma = E/(l - n) DR/R where E and n are Young's modulus and Poisson's ratio. Solomon notes that a strength of about 1 kbar for the lunar lithosphere is suggested by (1) the height of the highest topography, around 16 km, (2) flexural models of mascon mare basins, and (3) experimental results of rock mechanics (Byerlee's law). Thus, assuming E = 1.0 x 102 dyne/square cm, Solomon showed that a tectonic stress limit of 1 kbar corresponds to AR about 1 km. Based on this radius constraint, Solomon and Chaiken concluded that the only allowable initial temperature profile is one in which the outer layers of the Moon are much hotter than the inner ones. This result is in disagreement with accretion simulations that suggest that the Moon accreted in a very short time and also with dynamical studies of the Moon's evolution after formation that suggest that tidal heating could have played an important role in the Moon's early evolution. Seismic wave velocities suggest that the Moon's lithosphere is layered and that the high value for Young's modulus used by Solomon is true only for the deeper layers. This more complex structure motivated us to study the effects of contraction on a layered elastic lithosphere in more detail.
Hager B.
Weisberg Ori
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