PSRD: Crystallizing the Lunar Magma Ocean
نویسندگان
چکیده
central tenet of lunar science is that the Moon was surrounded by a huge ocean of magma when it formed. Originally thought to be a few hundred kilometers deep, lunar scientists now think that the entire Moon was initially molten. Numerous geochemical models have been constructed for the crystallization of the magma ocean. All the calculations use computer programs based on experimental data, but these necessitate some simplifications. Stephen Elardo, David Draper, and Charles Shearer (all at the University of New Mexico, though Draper has moved to the Johnson Space Center) are tackling the problem differently by doing a series of high-temperature experiments at different pressures and two different starting compositions to improve our understanding of how the magma ocean crystallized.
منابع مشابه
Viscosity and Structure of a Late Lunar Magma Ocean Liquid: Implications for the Purity of Ferroan Anorthosites and the Dynamics of a Crystallizing Magma Ocean
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