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Properties of the solar nebula and the origin of the moon.The basic geochemical model of the structure of the moon proposed by Anderson, in which the moon is formed by differentiation of the calcium, aluminium, and titanium-rich inclusions in the Allende meteorite, is accepted, and the conditions for formation of this moon within the solar nebula models of Cameron and Pine are discussed. The basic material condenses while iron remains in the gaseous phase, which places the formation of the moon slightly inside the orbit of Mercury. Some condensed metallic iron is likely to enter the moon in this position, and since the moon is assembled at a very high temperature, it is likely to have been fully molten, so that the iron can remove the iridium from the silicate material and carry it down to form a small core. Interactions between the moon and Mercury lead to the present rather eccentric Mercury orbit and to a much more eccentric orbit for the moon, reaching past the orbit of the earth, establishing conditions which are necessary for capture of the moon by the earth.
Document ID
19730050940
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Cameron, A. G. W.
(Yeshiva University; NASA, Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York, N.Y., United States)
Date Acquired
August 7, 2013
Publication Date
June 1, 1973
Publication Information
Publication: The Moon
Volume: 7
Subject Category
Space Sciences
Accession Number
73A35742
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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