The Apollo 17 drill core - Chemistry of size fractions and the nature of the fused soil componentIt is shown that the Apollo 17 drill core 70009-70001 is heterogeneous with depth, containing five stratigraphic units, and has a bulk soil chemistry governed by the coarse fractions because of their greater weight proportions. The four components (1) KREEP, (2) anorthositic gabbro, (3) mare basalt, and (4) orange glass are used to model the compositions of the coarse and fine fractions of the entire drill core. It is found that the chemistry of the fused soil component in the five stratigraphic units is more similar to the chemistry of the fine, less than 20-micron fractions than the coarse fraction, suggesting that agglutinates may prefferentially meld and replicate the chemistry of the finer size fractions. The sources of Zn are the orange/black glasses, and the Zn profile is anticorrelated with the maturity index of Morris et al (1979), indicating the liberation of Zn during soil maturation.
Document ID
19820038794
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Authors
Laul, J. C. (Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories Richland, WA, United States)
Papike, J. J. (New York, State University Stony Brook, NY, United States)