Basin-Induced Stresses and KREEP Magma Transport in the Moon

Details Basin-Induced Stresses and KREEP Magma Transport in the Moon Basin-Induced Stresses and KREEP Magma Transport in the Moon

Dec 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009agufm.p33d..02m&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2009, abstract #P33D-02

Mathematics

Logic

[3672] Mineralogy And Petrology / Planetary Mineralogy And Petrology, [5480] Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets / Volcanism, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon, [8450] Volcanology / Planetary Volcanism

Scientific paper

The localization of KREEP on the surface of the Moon suggests that KREEP eruption was a magmatic process that was spatially localized, yet influenced by hemisphere-scale disparity. The density of KREEP magmas as computed from petrologic models is weakly buoyant relative to the early lunar crust, implying a moderate driving force for magmatic ascent. The slightly high silica content of KREEP magmas leads to relatively high viscosities (up to 100~Pa-s), i.e., slow ascent. Although the early lunar heat flux was high, the surface remained cold, and slowly ascending magmas may have frozen during ascent at depths several kilometers below the surface. A potentially key factor in the eruption of KREEP magmas is the stress in the interior driven by basin formation and relaxation. We present models of the lithospheric stress distribution due to the formation of the observed lunar impact basins, using a Maxwell-viscoelastic model of basin relaxation in a layered Moon. We find that the largest basins are capable of driving KREEP magmas to the surface even against an adverse density gradient. Rates of magma ascent can be enhanced by an order of magnitude. The state of stress in the subsurface depends on both the thermal state of the Moon and the petrologic state of KREEP. An intriguing possibility that we have begun to investigate is that formation of the largest ~2 basins caused redistributions of KREEP that were important laterally as well as vertically.

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