Proceedings of a workshop on Lunar Volcanic Glasses: Scientific and Resource Potential

Conference · Wed Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990

OSTI ID:6417103

Delano, J W; Heiken, G H

This workshop on lunar mare volcanism was the first since 1975 to deal with the major scientific advances that have occurred in this general subject, and the first ever to deal specifically with volcanic glasses. Lunar volcanic glasses are increasingly being recognized as the best geochemical and petrologic probes into the lunar mantle. Lunar volcanic glasses, of which 25 compositional varieties are presently known, appear to represent primary magmas that were produced by partial melting of differentiated mantle source regions at depths of perhaps 400 to 500 km. These high-magnesian picritic magmas were erupted onto the lunar surface in fire fountains associated with the release of indigenous lunar volatiles. The cosmic significance of this volatile component, in an otherwise depleted Moon, remains a lingering puzzle. The resource potential, if any, of the surface-correlated volatile sublimates on the volcanic glass spherules had not been systematically addressed prior to this workshop.

• Research Organization: Lunar and Planetary Inst., Houston, TX (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6417103
• Report Number(s): N-90-26437; NASA-CR--186631; NAS--1.26:186631; LPI-TR--90-02; CONF-8910472--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHEMISTRY
GEOCHEMISTRY
GLASS
LUNAR MATERIALS
MAGMA
MATERIALS
MEETINGS
MELTING
MOON
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
SATELLITES
VOLCANOES