Mare basalt petrogenesis - A review of experimental studies

Experimental results relevant to the fundamental question of the origin of mare basalts are examined with particular reference to guidelines for an appropriate evaluation of experiments. The petrogenesis of mare basalts remains a controversial subject as no petrogenetic scenario has yet been able to satisfy all the geochemical and geophysical constraints. Several generalizations hold true if one accepts that high-pressure equilibria provide some useful but limited information on mare source regions in the lunar interior. Petrogenesis of lowand high-Ti suites is identified. If assimilative processes are involved in the petrogenesis of the high-Ti suite, the high-pressure experiments on the resultant hybrid liquids have little bearing on their origins.