Minerals and Origin of the MoonFormation TheoriesDataGiant Impact ExchangeGiant Impact UncertaintyMineral Make upSlide 7PhenomenonCompositionSlide 10Slide 11ReferencesMinerals and Origin of the MoonTriana HenzFormation Theories•Fission•Capture•Co-formation•Giant ImpactData•High angular momentum •Low iron core•Identical abundances of oxygen isotopesGiant Impact ExchangeGiant Impact Uncertainty•Faster cooling rate•Rotation of disk might have inhibited radial diffusion•Either enrich or same as the Earth in REE, thorium, uranium, zirconium and FeOMineral Make up•Thick crust has feldspar and pyroxene•Feldspar is mainly anorthite (CaAl2Si2O8 ) , especially if the melt is pyroxene and olivine rich•Low density means that it most likely doesn’t have an iron core•Same density as ordinary rockPhenomenon•Pristine highland rocks are extremely rare•Probably due to “gardening” of the surface•Highland is made from molten lunar material that crystallized slowly from deep inside•Magma ocean froze over•Radioactive isotopes decayed, warming up interior•Basalt erupted to low areasComposition•Olivine: dense, in interiors and lava•Pyroxene: constituent in interiors where metallic iron is present•Feldspar: less dense, crust•Ilmenite: lava, titanium bearingComposition•Eutectic composition can shift with pressure•Determine depth of lava sourceComposition•REE fit in where they can•Feldspars rejects lighter REE •Feldspars accepts denser REE•Pyroxene is opposite•Olivine rejects all•Europium (Eu) is a characteristic of feldsparsReferences•Taylor, G. J. (2008). "Compositional Balancing Before Moon Formation." Planetary Science Research Discoveries.
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