Lunar geochemistry

The most notable feature of the sulfur isotope geochemistry of lunar rocks is the uniformity of 8 " S-values and their proximity to the Canyon Diablo standard. The range of published 8 " S-values is between -2 to +2.5%o. However, as noted by Des Marais (1983), the actual range is likely to be considerably narrower than 4.5%o due to systematic discrepancies either between laboratories or between analytical procedures. The very small variation in sulfur isotope composition supports the idea that the very low oxygen fugacities on the Moon prevent the formation of SO2 or sulfates, thus eliminate exchange reactions between oxidized and reduced sulfur species. 

In Stable Isotope Geochemistry. Rev Miner Geochem 43 415 67 Beard BL, Johnson CM (1999) High-precision iron isotope measurements of terrestrial and lunar materials, Geochim Cosmochim Acta 63 1653-1660 Beard BL, Johnson C (2004) Fe isotope variations in the modem and ancient Earth and other planetary bodies. Rev Miner Geochem 55 319-357 Beard BL, Johnson CM, Cox L, Sun H, Nealson KH, Aguilar C (1999) Iron isotope biosphere. Science 285 1889-1892... 

Lunar surface materials (Apollo and Luna returned samples and lunar meteorites) are classified into three geochemical end members - anorthosite, mare basalt, and KREEP. These components are clearly associated with the various geochemically mapped terrains of different age on the lunar surface. The composition of the lunar interior is inferred from the geochemical characteristics of basalts that formed by mantle melting, and geochemistry provides constraints on the Moon s impact origin and differentiation via a magma ocean. 

Scientific literature on the geochemistry of the Moon and Mars is voluminous, and we can only provide overviews of some of the more recent data and current understanding. Lunar samples, lunar meteorites, and Martian (SNC) meteorites were briefly described in... 

Lucey, P. G., plus 17 coauthors (2006) Understanding the lunar surface and space-Moon interactions. In New Views of the Moon, Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry 60, eds. Jolliff, B. L., Wieczorek, M. A., Shearer, . K. and Neal, C. R. Washington, D.C. Mineralogical Society of America and Geochemical Society, 83-219. 

Heymann, D. 1991 The geochemistry of buckminsterfullerene (C60) I. Solid solutions with sulfur and oxidation with perchloric acid. Lunar Planet Sci. XXII, 569-570. 

Source of data Handbook of Geochemistry (K. H. Wedepohl, ed., Springer-Verlag, New York) Isotopes showing the Mossbauer effect isotope occurs in lunar samples and meteorites. 

Koeberl C., Ntaflos T., Kurat G., and Chai C. F. (1987) Petrology and Geochemistry of the Ningqiang (CV3) chondrite. In Lunar Planet. Sci. XVIII. The Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, pp. 499-500. 

Benedix S. A., Leshin L. A., Farquhar J., Jackson T. L., and Thiemens M. H. (2000) Carbonates in CM chondrites oxygen isotope geochemistry and impUcations for alteration of the CM parent body. Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXI, 1840. Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston (CD-ROM). 

Eugster O. (2003) Cosmic-ray exposure ages of meteorite and lunar rocks and their significance. Geochemistry (in press). 

Jolliff B. L., Floss C., McCallum I. S., and Schwartz J. M. (1999) Geochemistry, petrology, and cooling history of 14161,7373 a plutonic lunar sample with textural evidence of granitic-fraction separation by silicate-liquid immisci-bility. Am. Mineral. 84, 821-837. 

Warren P. H. and Kallemeyn G. W. (1986) Geochemistry of lunar meteorite Yamato-791197 comparison with ALHA81005 and other lunar samples. Proc. NIPR Symp. Antarct. Meteorit. (Tokyo) 10, 3-16. 

Warren P. H. and Wasson J. T. (1980b) Further foraging for pristine nonmare rocks correlations between geochemistry and longitude. Proc. 11th Lunar Planet. Sci. Conf., 431-470. 

Zeigler R. A., Jolhff B. L., Korotev R. L., and Haskin L. A. (2000) Petrology, geochemistry, and possible origin of monomict mafic lithologies of the Cayley plains. In Lunar Planet. Sci. XXXI, 1859. The Lunar and Planetary... 

Norman M., Borg L., Nyquist L., and Bogard D. (2003) Chronology, geochemistry, and petrology of a ferroan noritic anorthosite clast from Descartes breccia 67215 clues to the age, origin, structure, and impact history of the lunar crust. Meteorit. Planet. Sci. 38, 645-661. 

Leshin LA, McKeegan KD, Benedix GK (2000) Oxygen isotope geochemistry of olivine from carbonaceous chondrites. Lunar Planet Sci XXXI, 1918 (CDROM)... 

Sutton SR, Rivers ML (1999) Hard X-ray synchrotron microprobe techniques and applications. In Synchrotron Methods in Clay Science. CMS Workshop Lectures Vol. 9. Schulze DG, Stucki JW, Bertsch PM. (eds). The Clay Mineral Society, Boulder CO, p 146-163 Sutton SR, Flynn G, Rivers M, Newville M, Eng P (2000) X-ray fluorescence microtomography of individual interplanetary dust particles. Lunar Planet Sci XXXI 1857 Sutton SR, Rivers ML, Bajt S, Jones KW, Smith JV (1994) Synchrotron X-ray-fluorescence microprobe-a microanalytical instrument for trace element studies in geochemistry, cosmochemistry, and the soil and environmental sciences. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res A 347 412-416 Suzuki Y, Awaji M, Kohmura Y, Takeuchi A, Takano H, Kamijo N, Tamura S, Yasumoto M, Handa (2001) X-ray microbeam with sputtered-shced Fresnel zone plate at SPring-8 undulator beamline. Nucl Instrum Methods Phys Res A 467-468 951-953... 

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