Provenance of Apollo 15 deep drill core sedimentsModal analysis and electron probe microanalysis were performed on polished thin sections prepared from Apollo 15 deep drill core soils in an effort to characterize their provenance. The particles were in the 0.25-1.00 mm size range. The particles were classified into mineral fragments, agglutinates, glasses, rock fragments, and breccias. The results show that highland and mare material occur in the core in an approximately 60:40 ratio, with mare component generally increasing from bottom to top in the core. Quartz-normative basalts are nearly twice as abundant as olivine basalts. Nonmare sources include KREEP basalt flow units from some depth in the crust, excavated by cratering events and supplied to the site as 'rays'.
Document ID
19780057807
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Basu, A. (Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Mass.; Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston Tex., United States)
Bower, J. F. (Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge Mass., United States)