Formation of the lunar atmosphere

Details Formation of the lunar atmosphere Formation of the lunar atmosphere

Sep 1975

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1975moon...14..139h&link_type=abstract

(Lunar Science Institute, Conference on Interactions of the Interplanetary Plasma with the Modern and Ancient Moon, Lake Geneva,

Computer Science

19

Atmospheric Composition, Lunar Atmosphere, Lunar Evolution, Abundance, Apollo 17 Flight, Argon, Helium, Lunar Exploration, Mass Spectroscopy, Plasma Interactions, Solar Wind

Scientific paper

Measurements of Ar-40 and helium made by the Apollo 17 lunar surface mass-spectrometer are used in the synthesis of atmospheric supply and loss mechanisms. The argon data indicate that about 8% of the Ar-40 produced in the moon due to decay of K-40 is released into the atmosphere and subsequently lost. Variability of the atmospheric abundance of argon requires that the source be localized, probably in an unfractionated, partially molten core. If so, the radiogenic helium released with the argon amounts to 10% of the atmospheric helium supply. The total rate of helium escape from the moon accounts for only 60% of the solar wind particle influx. This seems to require a nonthermal escape mechanism for trapped solar-wind gases, probably involving weathering of exposed soil-grain surfaces by solar-wind protons.

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