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Identification of a New Spinel-Rich Lunar Rock Type by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M (sup 3))The canonical characterization of the lunar crust is based principally on available Apollo, Luna, and meteorite samples. The crust is described as an anorthosite-rich cumulate produced by the lunar magma ocean that has been infused with a mix of Mgsuite components. These have been mixed and redistributed during the late heavy bombardment and basin forming events. We report a new rock-type detected on the farside of the Moon by the Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) on Chandrayaan-1 that does not easily fit with current crustal evolution models. The rock-type is dominated by Mg-spinel with no detectible pyroxene or olivine present (<5%). It occurs along the western inner ring of Moscoviense Basin as one of several discrete areas that exhibit unusual compositions relative to their surroundings but without morphological evidence for separate processes leading to exposure.
Document ID
20100011316
Acquisition Source
Marshall Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Pieters, C. M. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Boardman, J. (Analytical Imaging and Geophysics, LLC Boulder, CO, United States)
Buratti, B. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Clark, R. (Geological Survey Denver, CO, United States)
Combe, J. P. (Bear Flight Center Winthrop, WA, United States)
Green, R. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Goswami, J. N. (Indian Space Research Organization Ahmedabad, India)
Head, J. W., III (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Hicks, M. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Isaacson, P. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Klima, R. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Kramer, G. (Bear Flight Center Winthrop, WA, United States)
Kumar, K. (Indian Space Research Organization Ahmedabad, India)
Lundeen, S. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Malaret, E. (ACT Co. Westlake, OH, United States)
McCord, T. B. (Bear Flight Center Winthrop, WA, United States)
Mustard, J. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Nettles, J. (Brown Univ. Providence, RI, United States)
Petro, N. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Runyon, C. (Charleston Coll. Charleston, SC, United States)
Staid, M. (Planetary Science Inst. United States)
Sunshine, J. (Maryland Univ. MD, United States)
Taylor, L. A. (Tennessee Univ. TN, United States)
Thaisen, K. (Tennessee Univ. TN, United States)
Tompkins, S. (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Arlington, VA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
February 8, 2010
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration
Report/Patent Number
M10-0331
Meeting Information
Meeting: KAGUYA/Chandrayaan-1 Cross-Calibration meeting
Location: Ahmedabad
Country: India
Start Date: February 8, 2010
End Date: February 9, 2010
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NNM05AB26C
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.

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