Analysis of lunar highland regolith samples from Apollo 16 ...

Geological Society of America 2008

Analysis of lunar highland regolith samples from Apollo 16 drive core

64001/2 and lunar regolith simulants –an expanding comparative databasep g p

Christian M. Schrader and Doug RickmanMarshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL

Douglas StoeserUnited States Geological Survey, Denver, CO

Susan Wentworth and Dave S McKaySusan Wentworth and Dave S. McKayJohnson Space Center, Houston, TX

Pieter Botha, Alan R. Butcher, Hanna E. Horsch, Aukje Benedictus, and Paul Gottlieb

Intellection in Denver, CO and Brisbane, QLD

Outline• Background of the lunar regolith

simulant effort

• Apollo site and sample selection

• Results of QEMSCAN® modal analysis of lunar material

– change in major mineral modal% with size fraction

– comparison of major/trace minerals in sieved vs. thin section samples

9/15/2008 BAE Systems, Marshall Space Flight Center

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Outline, cont.

• Results of analysis of simulants vs. Apollo samples

• Future, ongoing, and parallel workutu e, o go g, a d pa a e o


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In support of a future lunar outpost...• This work is part of a larger effort to compile an internally consistent

database on lunar regolith (Apollo samples) and lunar regolith simulants.

– Characterize existing lunar regolith and simulants in terms ofg g• Particle type• Particle size distribution• Particle shape distribution• Bulk density• Other compositional characteristics

Evaluate regolith simulants (Figure of Merit) by above properties by– Evaluate regolith simulants (Figure of Merit) by above properties by comparison to lunar regolith (Apollo sample)


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Apollo 16 site

LM

Station 4:64001/64002


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Station 4 samplesgeochemical data from Korotev (1982) and Korotev et al. (1984)

64002(Houck, 1982)

03.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0

040 50 60 70 80 90 100 110

One thin-section64002,6019: 5.0 – 8.0 cm

Eight sieved samples

10

20

0

0

64002,262: 5.0 – 5.5 cm

64001(Basu & McKay, 1984)

30

40h, c

entim

eter

s

%FeO0

0

Is/FeO

(Basu & McKay, 1984)

One thin-section64001,6031: 50.0 – 53.1 cm

Ei h i d l

40

50

dept

h 0

0

Eight sieved samples64001,374: 52.0 – 52.5 cm

Apollo 16 core 64001/64002

60

70

Apollo 16 core 64001/64002

0

0


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Modal analysis of sieved grain mounts64002,262 sieved fractions

6060

70

64001,374 sieved fractions

60

70

250-500 μm53

36

50

32

49

3429

40

50

60

dal%

250-500 μm90-150 μm45-75 μm<20 μm

54

34

51

36

45

31

48

40

50

60

dal%

μ90-150 μm45-75 μm<20 μm

3 13 14

1

29

2 110

20

30mod

613 1

51

25

210

20

30mo

3 13 1 12 10

Plagioclase Pyroxene Olivine Glass

13 1 12 00


As size decreases, glass modal% increases at the expense of mineral modal%.


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Change in modal% by size fraction: 64002,262

64002, 2622.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

ion/

inte

grat

ed 250-500 μm90-150 μm45-75 μm<20 μm

0.0

0.5

Pl Opx Cpx Ol Gl

fract

i <20 μm

<20 μm fraction: All minerals are depleted relative to bulk sample: 29-43%.Glass is enriched relative to bulk sample: 30%.

All fractions: Plagioclase is increasingly depleted as grain sizedecreases. The 250-500 μm fraction is less enriched inother minerals than in the 64001 sample.


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Change in modal% by size fraction: 64001,374

64001, 3742.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

ion/

inte

grat

ed 250-500 μm90-150 μm45-75 μm<20 μm

0.0

0.5

Pl Opx Cpx Ol Gl

fract <20 μm

<20 μm fraction: All minerals are depleted relative to bulk sample: 32-56%.Glass is enriched relative to bulk sample: 17%.

All fractions: Plagioclase, pyroxenes, and olivine are increasinglydepleted as grain size decreases.


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Modal analysis: thin sections versus integrated bulk grain mountsbulk grain mounts

• Minerals report as higher in thin section than in corresponding integrated

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corresponding integrated grain mounts.– Edge effects/mixed

phases in thin sections

44 4440

4643

46

36

4140

50 64002, 6019 (TS)64002, 262 (GM)64001, 6031 (TS)64001 374 (GM) phases in thin sections

report as minerals?– Real effect from missing

fractions in grain mounts?20

30

mod

al% 64001, 374 (GM)

– Sampling error from sieving?

313 1

31

31

0

10

• Glass shows less regular pattern.



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Modal analysis: thin sections versus integrated b lk i tbulk grain mounts

• Trace Minerals:0.40

– Given, the very low amounts of some trace

i l (<0 01

0.30

0.3564002, 6019 (TS)64002, 262 (GM)64001, 6031 (TS) minerals (<0.01

modal%), the consistency is encouraging.0.15

0.20

0.25

mod

al%

64001, 6031 (TS)64001, 374 (GM)

g g

– Some of these are especially important to 0.05

0.10

In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) on the moon.

0.00

Ilmenite Ap/Whit. Native Fe Spinels Troilite


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Unclassified material in QEMSCAN® modal analysis

The modal% of unclassified material:

20

25

30

dal%

)64002,26264001,374

– ranges from ~5-24% in any one analysis;10

15

20

clas

sifie

d (m

od

– tends to increase as size fraction decreases in grain mounts;

0

5

050100150200250300350400

Middle of size bin (μm)

unc

mounts;

– is higher in integrated grain mounts than in thin sections

Middle of size bin (μm)

Thin sections64002,6019: 6.6% unclassified64001 6031: 6 4% unclassified

• (is more material misclassified due to edge effects and phase mixing?)

• (is this from another

64001,6031: 6.4% unclassified

Integrated grain mounts64002,262: 8.4% unclassified64001 374 16 9% l ifi d


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• (is this from another, unknown effect?)

64001,374: 16.9% unclassified

Lunar simulants: Mare and HighlandsNU-LHT-1M lunar highlands simulant

JSC-1A lunar mare simulant


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simulant

Overview: Major mineral modal comparison between simulants and 64001/64002between simulants and 64001/64002

67

5460

70

64001/2 TS Avg. 5360

7064001/2 TS Avg.JSC-1

44 45

54

45 44

40

50

mod

al%

64001/2 TS Avg.NU-LHT-2MNU-LHT-1MOB-1

44 45

35 3439

29

5253

3835

30

40

50JSC-1AJSC-1AFFJS-1MLS-1

3

10 10 1013

5

25

3510

20

30m

3

12 141612

17

8

1922

58

17

10

20

30

313

0


31 1

0


Highland simulants Mare simulants

We are incorporating particle type data (e.g., the presence of agglutinates) and phase chemistry into these comparisons.


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agglutinates) and phase chemistry into these comparisons.

Overview: Trace mineral modal comparison between simulants and 64001/64002between simulants and 64001/64002

0.40

0.45

64001/2 TS Avg.0.40

0.4564001/2 TS Avg.JSC-1

0 20

0.25

0.30

0.35

mod

al%

64001/2 TS Avg.NU-LHT-2MNU-LHT-1MOB-1

0 20

0.25

0.30

0.35 JSC-1AJSC-1AFFJS-1MLS-1

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20m

0.05

0.10

0.15

0.20


0.00

Ilmenite Ap/Whit. Native Fe Spinel Sulfides0.00

Ilmenite Ap/Whit. Native Fe Spinel Sulfides


We are incorporating particle type data (e.g., the presence of agglutinates) and phase chemistry into these comparisons.


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agglutinates) and phase chemistry into these comparisons.

Further and ongoing work• Continue to analyze Apollo samples by total phase

modal%.• Incorporate particle type modal analysis by determining

which phases are present in lithics, breccias, l ti t tagglutinates, etc.

• Incorporate phase chemistry.

• Analyze simulants by these same techniques for y y qcomparison by Figure of Merit algorithms.


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Parallel workParallel work

Characterizing particle size and shapeCharacterizing particle size and shape distributions and bulk densities of lunar regolith and simulants for comparison byregolith and simulants for comparison by FoM.


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References

Basu, A. and Mckay, D.S., “Petrologic Profile of Apollo 16 Regolith at Station 4”, Proceedings of the 15th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Part 1, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 89, Supplement, 1984, pp. C133-C142.

Houck, K.J., “Modal Petrology of Six Soils from Apollo 16 Double Drive Tube 64002”, Proceedings of the 13th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Part 1, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 87, Supplement, 1982b, pp. A210-A220.

Korotev, R.L., “Comparative Geochemistry of Apollo 16 Surface Soils and Samples from Cores 64002 and 60002 through 60007”, Proceedings of the 13th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Part 1, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol.. 87, Supplement 1982 pp A269 A278Supplement, 1982, pp. A269-A278.

Korotev, R.L., Morris, R.V., and Lauer, H.V., Jr., “Stratigraphy and Geochemistry of the Stone Mountain Core (64001/2)”, Proceedings of the 15th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, Part 1, Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 89, Supplement, , , p y , , pp ,1984, pp. C143-C160.


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Analysis of lunar highland regolith samples from Apollo 16 ...

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