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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چکیده
The current paradigm argues the Moon formed after a giant impact that produced a deep lunar magma ocean (LMO). After a period of turbulent convection, the LMO experienced fractional crystallization, causing the initially peridotitic liquid to evolve to a plagioclase-saturated ferrobasalt. The lunar crust, much of which comprises 93-98% pure anorthosite [1,2], formed by flotation of positively buoyant plagioclase on the residual liquid. A flotation crust would contain some trapped melt; compaction of the melt out of the crust before solidification may be necessary to generate a very pure anorthitic crust. The efficiency of this process depends on the previously unmeasured viscosity of the residual liquid [3].
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