Geochronology of an Apollo 16 Clast Provides Evidence for a Basin-Forming Impact 4.3 Billion Years Ago

Marks, N. E.; Borg, L. E.; Shearer, C. K.; Cassata, W. S.

doi:10.1029/2019JE005966

Title: Geochronology of an Apollo 16 Clast Provides Evidence for a Basin-Forming Impact 4.3 Billion Years Ago

Journal Article · 03 October 2019 · Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JE005966 · OSTI ID:1569101

^[1]; Borg, L. E. ^[1]; Shearer, C. K. ^[2]; Cassata, W. S. ^[1]

Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)

We examined lithic breccias from the Apollo sample collection in order to identify ferroan anorthosite samples suitable for geochronology, and better define the age relationships between rocks of the lunar highlands. Clast 3A is a previously unstudied noritic anorthosite from Apollo 16 lithic breccia 60016 with textural evidence of slow subsolidus recrystallization. We estimate a cooling rate of ~10 °C/Myr and calculate a pyroxene solvus temperature of 1,100–1,000 °C. Pyroxene exsolution lamellae (1–3 μm) indicate that the last stage of cooling was rapid at ~0.2 °C/year, typical of rates observed in thick ejecta blankets. We calculate concordant ages from the ¹⁴⁷Sm–¹⁴³Nd, ¹⁴⁶Sm–¹⁴²Nd, Rb–Sr, and Ar–Ar isotopic systems of 4,302 ± 28, 4,296 + 39/–53, 4,275 ± 38, and 4,311 ± 31 Ma, respectively, with a weighted average of 4,304 ± 12 Ma. The closure temperature of the Sm–Nd system is ~855 ± 14 °C, whereas the closure temperature of the Ar–Ar system is 275 ± 25 °C. Cooling from 855 to 275 °C at 10 °C/Myr should result in an age difference between the two isotopic systems of ~60 Myr. The concordant Sm–Nd, Rb–Sr, and Ar–Ar ages imply that they record the time the rock was excavated by a large impact from the midcrust. The ages clearly predate various late accretion scenarios in which an uptick in impacts at 3.8 Ga is preceded by a period of relative quiescence between 4.4 and ~4.1 Ga, and instead are consistent with decreasing accretion rates following the formation of the Moon.

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Research Organization:: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-07NA27344; 17‐ERD‐001

OSTI ID:: 1569101

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1569102; OSTI ID: 1633513

Report Number(s):: LLNL-JRNL-759299; 947587

Journal Information:: Journal of Geophysical Research. Planets, Vol. 124, Issue 10; ISSN 2169-9097

Publisher:: American Geophysical UnionCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 17 works

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