Density constraints of lunar upper crust from gravity and topography

Details Density constraints of lunar upper crust from gravity and topography Density constraints of lunar upper crust from gravity and topography

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p44b..07h&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P44B-07

Mathematics

Logic

[1221] Geodesy And Gravity / Lunar And Planetary Geodesy And Gravity, [6250] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Moon, [8031] Structural Geology / Rheology: Crust And Lithosphere

Scientific paper

Remote sensing and in situ measurements have shown that there are large lateral and vertical variations in the composition of the lunar crust. These crustal density diversities can be investigated using newly obtained global gravity and topography data. We applied a localized spectral admittance technique to various crustal regions by windowing the free-air gravity and surface topography with the band-limited localization windows of Wieczorek and Simons (2005, 2007). These admittances were interpreted using a geophysical model that includes both surface and subsurface loads that are supported by an elastic lithosphere. By varying the crustal density, elastic thickness and loading ratio in certain ranges, the best fitting bulk densities for a number of homogeneous regions were constrained to vary laterally from 2590 kg m-3 to 3010 kg m-3, with a mean value of 2700 kg m-3. Assuming the composition of the upper crust is uniform, the porosity of the upper crust could be determined if the pore-free surface density is known. Based on the known compositions of lunar rocks and estimated mineralogical norms, we found that the pore-free densities of lunar rocks were highly correlated with FeO and TiO2 abundance. The rock density can vary from 2884 to 3038 kg m-3 in estimated regions by using the iron and titanium abundances from Lunar Prospector gamma-ray spectrometer. We calculated the porosity of each region and found a mean value of ~7.4±3.4%, with permissible values from 0 to 14%. Furthermore, we took into account the vertical variation of crust density, and developed a novel technique that the density profile of the crust could be inverted using higher resolution gravity models. Since all these analyses are challenging using the recent Kaguya gravity models, higher resolution gravity data expected from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission would place tight constrains on both the lateral and vertical density variations of the lunar crust.

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