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Apennine Front revisited - Diversity of Apollo 15 highland rock typesThe Apollo 15 landing site is geologically the most complex of the Apollo sites, situated at a mare-highland interface within the rings of two of the last major basin-forming impacts. Few of the Apollo 15 samples are ancient highland rocks derived from the early differentiation of the moon, or impact melts from major basin impacts. Most of the samples are regolith breccias containing abundant clasts of younger volcanic mare and KREEP basalts. The early geologic evolution of the region can be understood only by examining the small fragments of highland rocks found in regolith breccias and soils. Geochemical and petrologic studies of clasts and matrices of three impact melt breccias and four regolith breccias are presented. Twelve igneous and metamorphic rocks show extreme diversity and include a new type of ferroan norite. Twenty-five samples of highland impact melt are divided into groups based on composition. These impact melts form nearly a continuum over more than an order of magnitude in REE concentrations. This continuum may result from both major basin impacts and younger local events. Highland rocks from the Apennine Front include most of the highland rock types found at all of the other sites. An extreme diversity of highland rocks is a fundamental characteristic of the Apennine Front and is a natural result of its complex geologic evolution.
Document ID
19890023492
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Lindstrom, Marilyn M.
(NASA Johnson Space Center Houston, TX; Washington University, Saint Louis, MO, United States)
Marvin, Ursula B.
(Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics Cambridge, MA, United States)
Vetter, Scott K.
(NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Houston, TX, United States)
Shervais, John W.
(South Carolina, University Columbia, United States)
Date Acquired
August 13, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1988
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Meeting Information
Meeting: Lunar and Planetary Science Conference
Location: Houston, TX
Country: United States
Start Date: March 16, 1987
End Date: March 20, 1987
Accession Number
89A10863
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG9-56
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG9-169
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAG9-29
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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