Evidence of extensive lunar crust formation in impact melt sheets 4330 Myr ago

L. F.  White; A. Černok; J. R. Darling; M. J. Whitehouse; Katherine Joy; C. Cayron; J. Dunlop; K. T. Tait; M. Anand

doi:10.1038/s41550-020-1092-5

Evidence of extensive lunar crust formation in impact melt sheets 4330 Myr ago

L. F. White, A. Černok, J. R. Darling, M. J. Whitehouse, Katherine Joy, C. Cayron, J. Dunlop, K. T. Tait, M. Anand

Earth and Environmental Sciences - Academic & Research

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Abstract

Accurately constraining the formation and evolution of the lunar magnesian (Mg) suite is key to understanding the earliest periods of magmatic crustal building that followed accretion and primordial differentiation of the Moon. However, the origin and evolution of these unique rocks is highly debated. Here, we report on the microstructural characterisation of a large (~250 µm) baddeleyite (monoclinic-ZrO2) grain in Apollo troctolite 76535 that preserves quantifiable crystallographic relationships indicative of reversion from a precursor cubic-ZrO2 phase. This observation places important constraints on the formation temperature of the grain (> 2300 °C) which endogenic processes alone fail to reconcile. We conclude that the troctolite crystallized directly from a large, differentiated impact melt sheet 4326 ± 14 million years (Myr) ago. These results suggest that impact bombardment would have played a critical role in the evolution of the earliest planetary crusts.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	974–978
Journal	Nature Astronomy
Volume	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1092-5
Publication status	Published - 11 May 2020

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Planetary Science
Gilmour, J. (PI), Joy, K. (PI), Lyon, I. (CoI), Burgess, R. (PI), Jones, R. (PI), Tartese, R. (PI), Holland, G. (PI), Clay, P. (CoI), Crowther, S. (Researcher), Pernet-Fisher, J. (Researcher), Ruzie, L. (Researcher), Assis Fernandes, V. (CoI), MacArthur, J. (Researcher), Nottingham, M. (Researcher), Bell, S. (Researcher), Baker, E. (Researcher), Hartley, M. (PI), Neave, D. (PI), Snape, J. (PI), Almayrac, M. (Researcher), Broadley, M. (PI), Barrett, T. (Researcher) & Neukampf, J. (Researcher)
Project: Research

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abstract = "Accurately constraining the formation and evolution of the lunar magnesian (Mg) suite is key to understanding the earliest periods of magmatic crustal building that followed accretion and primordial differentiation of the Moon. However, the origin and evolution of these unique rocks is highly debated. Here, we report on the microstructural characterisation of a large (~250 µm) baddeleyite (monoclinic-ZrO2) grain in Apollo troctolite 76535 that preserves quantifiable crystallographic relationships indicative of reversion from a precursor cubic-ZrO2 phase. This observation places important constraints on the formation temperature of the grain (> 2300 °C) which endogenic processes alone fail to reconcile. We conclude that the troctolite crystallized directly from a large, differentiated impact melt sheet 4326 ± 14 million years (Myr) ago. These results suggest that impact bombardment would have played a critical role in the evolution of the earliest planetary crusts.",

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doi = "10.1038/s41550-020-1092-5",

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T1 - Evidence of extensive lunar crust formation in impact melt sheets 4330 Myr ago

AU - White, L. F.

AU - Černok, A.

AU - Darling, J. R.

AU - Whitehouse, M. J.

AU - Joy, Katherine

AU - Cayron, C.

AU - Dunlop, J.

AU - Tait, K. T.

AU - Anand, M.

PY - 2020/5/11

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AB - Accurately constraining the formation and evolution of the lunar magnesian (Mg) suite is key to understanding the earliest periods of magmatic crustal building that followed accretion and primordial differentiation of the Moon. However, the origin and evolution of these unique rocks is highly debated. Here, we report on the microstructural characterisation of a large (~250 µm) baddeleyite (monoclinic-ZrO2) grain in Apollo troctolite 76535 that preserves quantifiable crystallographic relationships indicative of reversion from a precursor cubic-ZrO2 phase. This observation places important constraints on the formation temperature of the grain (> 2300 °C) which endogenic processes alone fail to reconcile. We conclude that the troctolite crystallized directly from a large, differentiated impact melt sheet 4326 ± 14 million years (Myr) ago. These results suggest that impact bombardment would have played a critical role in the evolution of the earliest planetary crusts.

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VL - 4

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EP - 978

JO - Nature Astronomy

JF - Nature Astronomy

ER -

Evidence of extensive lunar crust formation in impact melt sheets 4330 Myr ago

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