Density of Molten “ Apollo 17 Orange Glass ”

Introduction: Modelling the dynamic evolution of the interior of the Moon is intrinsically linked to the density of lunar materials at high pressures and temperatures. Lunar magma density variations during crystallisation of the lunar magma ocean are particularly important, since the formation of plagioclase-rich highland rocks and mare basalts are related to density differences between lunar magma and co-existing minerals. So far the densities of high and low titanium end member primitive lunar glasses, containing 16.4 and 0.23 wt% TiO2 respectively, have been determined at elevated pressure (P) and temperature (T) via quench methods [1,2]. However, so far it is unclear (1) if observed density differences are related to variations in titanium content only (2) or if density variations in lunar magma are linear as a function of titanium content. Here we study the density of a synthetic equivalent of the intermediate-high titanium, Apollo 17 (A17) orange glass, with 8.63 wt% TiO2 [3].