Lunar Anorthosites: Rare-Earth and Other Elemental Abundances

Details Lunar Anorthosites: Rare-Earth and Other Elemental Abundances Lunar Anorthosites: Rare-Earth and Other Elemental Abundances

Nov 1970

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1970sci...170..969w&link_type=abstract

Science, Volume 170, Issue 3961, pp. 969-974

Computer Science

6

Scientific paper

Elemental abundances of major (Ti, Al, Fe, and Ca), minor (Na, Mn, and Cr), and trace elements [14 rare-earth elements (REE), Y, In, Cd, Rb, Cs, Ba, Co, and Sc] in lunar anorthosites separated from Apollo 11 sample 10085 coarse fines have been determined by means of instrumental and radiochemical neutron activation analysis. The REE distribution pattern of lunar anorthosites, relative to ordinary chondrites, has a positive Eu anomaly. On the assumption that (i) the lunar composition is similar to that of ordinary chondritic meteorites low in total Fe (~ 13 percent); (ii) lunar anorthosites are derived from highland cratering events and are representative of the highlands; and (iii) the moon differentiated into olivine, hypersthene, and basaltic and anorthositic phases, and plagioclase crysstallization began after ~ 93 percent solidification, then mass balance calculations yield ~ 30-kilometer and ~ 10-kilometer thicknesses for the lunar highlands for the melting and chemical differentiation of the entire moon and of the upper 200 kilometers, respectively. Corresponding thicknesses of the basaltic basement rocks were ~ 5 kilometers and ~ 2 kilometers, respectively. Alternatively, if the anorthosites of this study are representative of the highlands and the onset of plagioclase crystallization occurred after ~ 50 percent solidification of the initially melted moon, calculations with REE and Ba partition coefficients suggest that the REE and Ba abundances in the primeval moon were similar to those observed in basaltic achondrites.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Lunar Anorthosites: Rare-Earth and Other Elemental Abundances 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 Lunar Anorthosites: Rare-Earth and Other Elemental Abundances, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Lunar Anorthosites: Rare-Earth and Other Elemental Abundances will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1012499