Sulfur in the Apollo 17 basalts and their source regionsThirty-two Apollo 17 mare basalts have been analyzed for their total sulfur and metallic iron abundances. Sulfur abundances range from 1580 to 2770 microgram S/g with a median value of 1860 microgram S/g. Metallic iron abundances ranged from 0.033 to 0.21 wt.% Fe, with a mean value of 0.13 wt% Fe. The coarse-grained basalts contain more metallic iron than the fine-grained basalts. The metallic iron and sulfur abundances are not apparently related to the cooling rates of the basalts. A slight negative correlation exists between the concentrations of metallic iron and total sulfur for the Apollo 17 basalts. Sulfur content of the mare basalts increases with increasing degrees of fractionation whereas the metallic iron content decreases. Metallic iron in mare basalts may be ascribed to a variety of processes; at present the dominant process is unknown. The source regions for the Apollo 17 and 11 basalts were saturated with sulfur as compared to the Apollo 12 and 15 low titanium basalts which were not saturated.
Document ID
19770051886
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Gibson, E. K., Jr. (Lunar Science Inst. Houston, TX, United States)
Morris, R. V. (NASA Johnson Space Center Geochemistry Branch, Houston, Tex., United States)
Usselman, T. M. (Lunar Science Institute Houston, Tex., United States)