Chemistry of agglutinate fractions in lunar soilsAgglutinates are aggregates of crystalline grains and lithic fragments bonded together by glass. It is thought that glassy agglutinates are formed at the upper surface of the lunar regolith by impact-related melting and welding of soil particles, in response to meteoroid and micrometeoroid bombardment. A description is presented of an investigation in which bulk soils were separated into 'agglutinate' and 'nonagglutinate' fractions. The obtained fractions were analyzed for major, minor, and trace elements. The obtained chemical data for agglutinate and nonagglutinate fractions of lunar soils indicate that agglutinitic glass is enriched in mafic and most lithophile elements relative to the bulk soils. A model involving preferential melting and assimilation of mesostasis material and mafic soil components is proposed to account for the observed chemical data. It is suggested that glassy agglutinates may form more readily in mafic soils than in more feldspathic ones. Such selectivity should be most effective between mare and highland soils, but may possibly operate on a more local scale.
Document ID
19780062824
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Rhodes, J. M. (Lockheed Electronics Co. Houston, TX, United States)
Rodgers, K. V. (Lockheed Electronics Co. Houston, TX, United States)
Jacobs, J. W. (Lockheed Electronics Co. Houston, TX, United States)
Brannon, J. C. (Lockheed Electronics Co., Inc. Houston, Tex., United States)
Adams, J. B. (Fairleigh Dickinson University St. Croix, Virgin Islands; MIT, Cambridge, Mass., United States)
Blanchard, D. P. (Lockheed Electronics Co. Houston, TX, United States)
Haskin, L. A. (NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, Tex., United States)
Charette, M. P. (MIT Cambridge, Mass., United States)