Rb-Sr-analyses of apollo 16 melt rocks and a new age estimate for the imbrium basin: lunar basin chronology and the early heavy bombardment of the moon

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1987 · Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0016-7037(87)90184-0· OSTI ID:7129682

Deutsch, A; Stoeffler, D

Rb-Sr-model ages on 7 impact glass-bombs and internal Rb-Sr isochrons for two crystalline impact melt rocks from the Apollo 16 collection have been determined. The post-Cayley glass-bombs with model ages between 4.75 +- 0.45 AE and 3.97 +- 0.08 AE can be classified according to their calculated single stage (/sup 87/Rb/sup 86/Sr)/sub I/-ratios: 67728, 67946, and 67627.8 point to a KREEP-free precursor terrain - the Descartes highlands; whereas 63566, 67567, 67627.10 and 67629 are derived from the more heterogeneous Cayley plains. The very feldspar-rich impact melt rock 65795, which is compositionally similar to the group of feldspathic microporphyritic melt breccias (FM-suite), yields a crystallization age of 3.81 +- 0.04 AE (2sigma; lambda/sup 87/Rb = 1.42/sup -11/ yr/sup -1/) and I/sub Sr/ of .69929 +- 3. The authors suggest that the Imbrium basin and the related Fra Mauro and Cayley formations were formed 3.77 +- 0.02 AE ago and could be even as young as 3.75 AE. As a consequence, they adopt 3.92 +- 0.03 AE, 3.87 +- 0.03 AE, and 3.84 +- 0.04 AE as ages for the Nectaris, Serenitatis, and Crisium basins, respectively, in agreement with the relative crater densities measured on the ejecta blankets of these basins. The proposed age sequence leads to an average formation interval for the observed 12-13 Nectarian basins of 7 to 14 m.y. leaving approx. 30 pre-Nectarian basins of unknown age. These facts suggest that there is no late terminal lunar cataclysm in the sense of a culmination of the lunar impact rate at approx. 3.8 AE ago. Rather, the observations are compatible with a steeply and steadily decreasing flux of impactors in the sense of an early heavy bombardment which started at the time of the moon's accretion and terminated around 3.75 AE ago.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Muenster (West Germany)
• OSTI ID: 7129682
• Journal Information: Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta; (United States), Journal Name: Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta; (United States) Vol. 51:7; ISSN GCACA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
580400* -- Geochemistry-- (-1989)
AGE ESTIMATION
ALKALI METAL ISOTOPES
ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES
APOLLO PROJECT
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMISTRY
COSMOCHEMISTRY
CRYSTALLIZATION
GEOCHEMISTRY
ISOTOPE RATIO
ISOTOPES
LUNAR MATERIALS
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MOLECULAR MODELS
MOON
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RUBIDIUM ISOTOPES
SATELLITES
STRONTIUM ISOTOPES