...the who's who,
and the what's what 
of the space industry

Space Careers

news Space News

Search News Archive

Title

Article text

Keyword

  • Home
  • News
  • Garnet Presence in the Deep Lunar Mantle Confirmed

Garnet Presence in the Deep Lunar Mantle Confirmed

Written by  Monday, 08 July 2024 16:09
Write a comment
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 08, 2024
The current understanding of the Moon's interior reveals a central metallic core, a mantle rich in minerals like olivine and pyroxene, and an outer crust layer. This model has been developed through analyses of lunar samples and seismic data from past Moon missions. Despite extensive studies, the debate about the presence of garnet in the deeper lunar mantle remains unresolved. A critical questi
Garnet Presence in the Deep Lunar Mantle Confirmed
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 08, 2024

The current understanding of the Moon's interior reveals a central metallic core, a mantle rich in minerals like olivine and pyroxene, and an outer crust layer. This model has been developed through analyses of lunar samples and seismic data from past Moon missions. Despite extensive studies, the debate about the presence of garnet in the deeper lunar mantle remains unresolved. A critical question posed half a century ago questioned whether laboratory-measured sound velocities in garnet-containing lunar rocks match the seismic profiles of the Moon's interior.

Researchers at Ehime University aimed to address this question by synthesizing garnet-rich lunar rock samples using the multi-anvil press apparatus "ORANGE-2000" at the Geodynamics Research Center. These samples were then taken to SPring-8, a large-scale synchrotron radiation facility in Hyogo Prefecture. At the High Pressure and High Temperature beamline BL04B1, the researchers simulated conditions of the Moon's deep interior and measured sound wave propagation in the garnet-rich samples.

The results indicated that the sound velocities in these garnet-containing samples matched the seismic and density profiles of the Moon's deep interior at depths between 740 and 1260 km. In contrast, samples with little or no garnet failed to explain the observed seismic velocities and densities at these depths.

These findings carry significant implications for our understanding of the Moon's composition, formation, internal temperature, and the now-inactive lunar dynamo.

Research Report:Sound velocities in lunar mantle aggregates at simultaneous high pressures and temperatures: Implications for the presence of garnet in the deep lunar interior

Related Links
Ehime University
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more


Read more from original source...

You must login to post a comment.
Loading comment... The comment will be refreshed after 00:00.

Be the first to comment.

Interested in Space?

Hit the buttons below to follow us...