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Evidence for this scenario comes from the highly anorthositic composition of the lunar highland crust, as well as the existence of KREEP-rich materials. Additionally, zircon analysis of Apollo 14 samples suggests the lunar crust differentiated 4.51±0.01 billion years ago. [32] Formation of the anorthosite crust
In terms of elements, the lunar crust is composed primarily of oxygen, silicon, magnesium, iron, calcium, and aluminium, but important minor and trace elements such as titanium, uranium, thorium, potassium, sulphur, manganese, chromium [4] and hydrogen are present as well. Based on geophysical techniques, the crust is estimated to be on average ...
The second difference is that lunar regolith and crust are chemically reduced, rather than being significantly oxidized like the Earth's crust. In the case of the regolith, this is due in part to the constant bombardment of the lunar surface with protons from the solar wind.
Studies from Apollo 17's Lunar Atmospheric Composition Experiment (LACE) show that the lunar exosphere contains trace amounts of hydrogen (H 2), helium (He), argon (Ar), and possibly ammonia (NH 3), carbon dioxide (CO 2), and methane (CH 4). Several processes can explain the presence of trace gases on the Moon: high energy photons or solar ...
As the crystallization of this liquid rock proceeded, minerals such as olivine and pyroxene precipitated and sank to the bottom to form the lunar mantle. After the solidification was about 75% complete, the material anorthositic plagioclase began to crystallize, and because of its low density, it floated, forming a solid crust. Hence, elements ...
While the lunar crust has an average thickness of about 31 miles (50 kilometers), the lunar mantle beneath it reaches about 838 miles (1,350 kilometers) deep. ... When the Pragyan rover carried ...
Initial chemical composition of the LMO is estimated based on the chemistry of lunar samples, along with the chemical composition and thickness of the current lunar crust. For computer modeling purposes, the initial chemical composition is typically defined by weight percent based on a system of basic molecules such as SiO 2 , MgO, FeO, Al 2 O ...
The Yutu-2 lunar rover took an image of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on January 11, 2019. - China National Space Administrat/AFP/Getty Images