When
3:45 p.m., Feb. 2, 2016
Where
Kuiper Space Sciences 312
Dr. Jeff Andrews-Hanna
Staff Scientist
Southwest Research Institute
The Early Evolution of the Moon: Looking Beneath the surface with GRAIL Gravity Data
The geological record of the earliest history of the Moon is poorly preserved as a result of the heavy impact bombardment of the surface prior to 3.7 Ga. However, the geophysical signatures of early lunar evolution are preserved in the subsurface, and are being revealed by data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission. Linear gravity anomalies reveal a population of ancient igneous intrusions that likely formed during an early period of global expansion. Later intrusive activity was dominated by the formation of arcuate dikes within the ring structures surrounding the major impact basins. The gravitational signatures of these rings also reveal ring faults cutting through the entirety of the crust. The largest magmatic-tectonic structure revealed by GRAIL is a quasi-rectangular set of linear gravity anomalies ~2500 km in diameter, encompassing the Procellarum region on the lunar nearside. The gravitational signatures of the Procellarum border structures are consistent with ancient volcanically flooded rift valleys. Throughout the lunar subsurface, gravity anomalies are revealing the presence of buried craters, the subsurface structure of ancient volcanoes, and the heterogeneity of the lunar crust. These and other observations from GRAIL are shedding new light on the dynamic early history of Earth's nearest neighbor.
Staff Scientist
Southwest Research Institute
The Early Evolution of the Moon: Looking Beneath the surface with GRAIL Gravity Data
The geological record of the earliest history of the Moon is poorly preserved as a result of the heavy impact bombardment of the surface prior to 3.7 Ga. However, the geophysical signatures of early lunar evolution are preserved in the subsurface, and are being revealed by data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission. Linear gravity anomalies reveal a population of ancient igneous intrusions that likely formed during an early period of global expansion. Later intrusive activity was dominated by the formation of arcuate dikes within the ring structures surrounding the major impact basins. The gravitational signatures of these rings also reveal ring faults cutting through the entirety of the crust. The largest magmatic-tectonic structure revealed by GRAIL is a quasi-rectangular set of linear gravity anomalies ~2500 km in diameter, encompassing the Procellarum region on the lunar nearside. The gravitational signatures of the Procellarum border structures are consistent with ancient volcanically flooded rift valleys. Throughout the lunar subsurface, gravity anomalies are revealing the presence of buried craters, the subsurface structure of ancient volcanoes, and the heterogeneity of the lunar crust. These and other observations from GRAIL are shedding new light on the dynamic early history of Earth's nearest neighbor.
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