skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Tungsten isotopic constraints on the origin and evolution of the Moon

Book ·
 [1];  [2]
  1. University of Münster (Germany). Institut für Planetologie; Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Nuclear and Chemical Sciences Division
  2. University of Münster (Germany). Institut für Planetologie

Here we report the Moon most likely formed as the result of a collision between the proto-Earth and a differentiated body possibly the size of Mars (Cameron and Benz, 1991; Hartmann and Davis, 1975). The enormous amount of energy released by this giant impact caused widespread melting on the proto-Earth and the ejection of material into Earth’s orbit from which the Moon subsequently accreted. Upon accretion of the Moon, the lunar mantle underwent global silicate differentiation most likely facilitated by a lunar magma ocean (e.g. Wood et al., 1970). Magma ocean crystallization likely produced the wide diversity of lunar source rocks and involved the successive crystallization of mafic cumulates consisting of olivine and pyroxene, followed by crystallization of plagioclase which floated to the lunar surface to form the lunar crust consisting of ferroan anorthosites (FAN). Lastly, the residual liquid of the lunar magma ocean represents a separate component within the Moon termed KREEP (enriched in Potassium K, Rare Earth Elements, and Phosphorous). Re-melting of these magma ocean crystallization products of the low-Ti and high-Ti mare basalt source regions as well as the formation of Mg-suite lunar highland rocks.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1466142
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-744638; 899689
Resource Relation:
Related Information: In: Encylopedia of Lunar Science
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (24)

A review of lunar chronology revealing a preponderance of 4.34-4.37 Ga ages journal November 2014
Magmatic fractionation of Hf and W: constraints on the timing of core formation and differentiation in the Moon and Mars journal July 2003
Cosmogenic tungsten and the origin and earliest differentiation of the Moon journal May 2002
Cosmic-ray production of tungsten isotopes in lunar samples and meteorites and its implications for Hf–W cosmochemistry journal January 2000
Late formation and prolonged differentiation of the Moon inferred from W isotopes in lunar metals journal December 2007
Tungsten Isotopes in Planets journal August 2017
Age and Origin of the Moon journal November 1997
The structure of terrestrial bodies: Impact heating, corotation limits, and synestias: THE STRUCTURE OF TERRESTRIAL BODIES journal May 2017
Tungsten isotopic evidence for disproportional late accretion to the Earth and Moon journal April 2015
Forming a Moon with an Earth-like Composition via a Giant Impact journal October 2012
Highly siderophile element depletion in the Moon journal August 2015
Tungsten isotopes and the origin of the Moon journal October 2017
Early formation of the Moon 4.51 billion years ago journal January 2017
Lunar tungsten isotopic evidence for the late veneer journal April 2015
The oxidation state and mass of the Moon-forming impactor journal May 2016
Silicon isotopes in lunar rocks: Implications for the Moon’s formation and the early history of the Earth journal January 2012
Oxygen Isotopes and the Moon-Forming Giant Impact journal October 2001
The proto-Earth as a significant source of lunar material journal March 2012
Making the Moon from a Fast-Spinning Earth: A Giant Impact Followed by Resonant Despinning journal October 2012
The origin of the moon and the single impact hypothesis IV journal August 1991
Geochemical arguments for an Earth-like Moon-forming impactor
  • Dauphas, Nicolas; Burkhardt, Christoph; Warren, Paul H.
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 372, Issue 2024 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0244
journal September 2014
Equilibration in the aftermath of the lunar-forming giant impact journal October 2007
Satellite-sized planetesimals and lunar origin journal April 1975
Hf-W Chronometry of Lunar Metals and the Age and Early Differentiation of the Moon journal December 2005

Similar Records

Gallium isotopic constraints for the origin of the Earth-Moon system
Journal Article · Tue Apr 18 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · OSTI ID:1466142

The gallium isotopic composition of the Moon
Journal Article · Mon Dec 06 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · OSTI ID:1466142

Early differentiation of the moon - Evidence from trace elements in plagioclase
Conference · Thu Nov 15 00:00:00 EST 1984 · JGR, J. Geophys. Res., (Sect.) C:; (United States) · OSTI ID:1466142

Related Subjects