Mare volcanism in the lunar farside Moscoviense region: Implication for lateral variation in magma production of the Moon

[1] Accurate estimates of the duration and volume of extrusive volcanism of the Moon are essential for understanding the lunar thermal evolution. Here, using new high-resolution images obtained by the SELENE Terrain Camera, we determined the thicknesses and ages of basalts in Mare Moscoviense, one of the most prominent mare deposits on the farside. Mare volcanism in Mare Moscoviense was active for at least ∼1.5 Ga following the formation of the Moscoviense basin. Mare basalts are estimated to be at least 600 m thick, corresponding to a total volume of 9,500-16,000 km 3 . The long duration and large volume of extrusive volcanism are plausibly attributed to the thinner crust of the Moscoviense basin relative to those of other farside basins. From a comparison with mare volume within a same-sized nearside basin, we concluded that a magma production in the farside mantle was 3―10 times less than that of the nearside.

[1]  Roger J. Phillips,et al.  Potential anomalies on a sphere: Applications to the thickness of the lunar crust , 1998 .

[2]  R. Jaumann,et al.  Ages and stratigraphy of mare basalts in Oceanus Procellarum, Mare Nubium, Mare Cognitum, and Mare Insularum , 2003 .

[3]  Paul G. Lucey,et al.  Basalt thickness in Mare Humorum: The crater excavation , 1998 .

[4]  T. Spohn,et al.  The Longevity of Lunar Volcanism: Implications of Thermal Evolution Calculations with 2D and 3D Mantle Convection Models , 2001 .

[5]  De Hon.  Thickness of mare material in the Tranquillitatis and Nectaris basins , 1974 .

[6]  Alfred S. McEwen,et al.  THE IMPORTANCE OF SECONDARY CRATERING TO AGE CONSTRAINTS ON PLANETARY SURFACES , 2006 .

[7]  M. Zuber,et al.  The role of magma buoyancy on the eruption of lunar basalts , 2001 .

[8]  Richard J. Pike,et al.  Size-dependence in the shape of fresh impact craters on the moon , 1977 .

[9]  William K. Hartmann,et al.  Cratering Records in the Inner Solar System in Relation to the Lunar Reference System , 2001 .

[10]  Tomokatsu Morota,et al.  Asymmetrical distribution of rayed craters on the Moon , 2003 .

[11]  R. Jaumann,et al.  Lunar mare basalt flow units: Thicknesses determined from crater size‐frequency distributions , 2002 .

[12]  G. Neukum,et al.  Crater Size Distributions and Impact Probabilities on Earth from Lunar, Terrestrial Planeta, and Asteroid Cratering Data , 1994 .

[13]  Clive R. Neal,et al.  Distinguishing high‐alumina mare basalts using Clementine UVVIS and Lunar Prospector GRS data: Mare Moscoviense and Mare Nectaris , 2008 .

[14]  Hiroshi Araki,et al.  Crustal thickness of the Moon: Implications for farside basin structures , 2009 .

[15]  G. Ryder,et al.  Stratigraphy and Isotope Ages of Lunar Geologic Units: Chronological Standard for the Inner Solar System , 2001 .

[16]  Ralf Jaumann,et al.  Ages of Mare Basalts on the Lunar Nearside: A Synthesis , 2000 .

[17]  J. Head,et al.  Lunar mascon basins - Lava filling, tectonics, and evolution of the lithosphere , 1980 .

[18]  B. Gladman,et al.  Current Bombardment of the Earth-Moon System: Emphasis on Cratering Asymmetries , 2006, astro-ph/0608373.

[19]  J. Head,et al.  Volumes of lunar lava ponds in South Pole‐Aitken and Orientale Basins: Implications for eruption conditions, transport mechanisms, and magma source regions , 1997 .

[20]  William K. Hartmann,et al.  Cratering Chronology and the Evolution of Mars , 2001 .

[21]  Akira Iwasaki,et al.  Long-Lived Volcanism on the Lunar Farside Revealed by SELENE Terrain Camera , 2009, Science.

[22]  T. Takano,et al.  Farside Gravity Field of the Moon from Four-Way Doppler Measurements of SELENE (Kaguya) , 2009, Science.

[23]  J. Head,et al.  Lunar mare volcanism: Stratigraphy, eruption conditions, and the evolution of secondary crusts , 1992 .

[24]  M. Wieczorek,et al.  Nonuniform cratering of the terrestrial planets , 2008 .