Unraveling the Origin of the Lunar Highlands Crust

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Lunar, Alha81005, Dhofar 309, Meteorite, Granulite, Lunar Highlands, Highlands, Magma Ocean, Magnesium Number, Kreep, Feldspathic Highlands Terrane, Fht, Pluton

Scientific paper

The nonmare rocks that dominate the highlands of the Moon are particularly fascinating because they tell us about the origin of the most ancient crust. Two random samples of highlands rocks arrived to Earth as lunar meteorites Allan Hills (ALH) A81005 and Dhofar 309. Researchers Allan Treiman, Amy Maloy, Juliane Gross (Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston) and Chip Shearer (University of New Mexico) took a look at a particular kind of fragment inside these meteorites so geochemically distinct from other highlands materials as to warrant further investigations of their mineral, bulk, and trace element compositions. The attention-grabbing fragments are magnesium-rich anorthositic granulites that tell part of the story of lunar crustal evolution, though the details of the story are still being worked out. Magnesian anorthositic granulites, found in several distinct lunar meteorites, may represent a widespread rock type in the highlands, a notion supported by remote sensing chemical data. These fragments could be metamorphosed relicts of KREEP-free plutons that intruded into the plagioclase-rich ancient crust.

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