Composition of Apollo 17 core 76001

Korotev, Randy L.; Bishop, Kaylynn M.

Core 76001 is a single drive tube containing a column of regolith taken at the base of the North Massif, station 6, Apollo 17. The core material is believed to have accumulated through slow downslope mass wasting from the massif. As a consequence, the core soil is mature throughout its length. Results of INAA for samples taken every half centimeter along the length of the core indicate that there is only minor systematic compositional variation with depth. Concentrations of elements primarily associated with mare basalt (Sc, Fe) and noritic impact melt breccia (Sm) decrease slightly with depth, particularly between 20 cm and the bottom of the core at 32 cm depth. This is consistent with petrographic studies that indicate a greater proportion of basalt and melt breccia in the top part of the core. However, Sm/Sc and La/Sm ratios are remarkably constant with depth, indicating no variation in the ratio of mare material to Sm-rich highlands material with depth. Other than these subtle changes, there is no compositional evidence for the two stratigraphic units (0-20 cm and 20-32 cm) defined on the basis of modal petrography, although all samples with anomalously high Ni concentrations (Fe-Ni metal nuggets) occur above 20 cm depth.

Document ID

19940011853

Acquisition Source

Legacy CDMS

Document Type

Conference Paper

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Date Acquired

September 6, 2013

Publication Date

January 1, 1993

Publication Information

Publication: Lunar and Planetary Inst., Twenty-Fourth Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. Part 2: G-M

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Accession Number

94N16326

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Public

Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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