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Simulation of the Planetary Interior Differentiation Processes in the Laboratory
Published on: November 15, 2013
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Large impact cratering during lunar magma ocean solidification.
K Miljković1, M A Wieczorek2, M Laneuville3
1Curtin University, School of Earth and Planetary Science, Space Science and Technology Centre, Perth, WA, Australia. katarina.miljkovic@curtin.edu.au.
Nature Communications
|September 15, 2021
Summary
Early lunar impact basins may be missing from the cratering record due to crustal relaxation during magma ocean solidification. This suggests a higher early impact flux than previously understood for the Earth-Moon system.
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Lunar Geology
- Impact Cratering
Background:
- The lunar cratering record is crucial for understanding Earth and Moon bombardment history.
- Previous studies suggest the Moon may lack evidence of its earliest impact record.
- Diverse evidence points to potential gaps in early lunar cratering data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential reasons for missing early lunar impact basin evidence.
- To determine if impact basins formed during lunar magma ocean solidification have unique characteristics.
- To reconcile observations with models of early Earth-Moon evolution.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of impact basin formation during lunar magma ocean solidification.
- Modeling the effects of a low-viscosity melt layer on crustal relaxation.
- Comparing predicted crater morphologies with existing lunar geological data.
Main Results:
- Impact basins formed during magma ocean solidification likely exhibit distinct morphologies.
- A low-viscosity layer promotes rapid and extreme crustal relaxation of impact basins.
- This relaxation can render early lunar basins nearly undetectable through topographic or crustal signatures.
Conclusions:
- Lunar impact basins formed during magma ocean solidification may have escaped detection.
- The findings support theories of a higher impact flux in the early Earth-Moon history.
- The earliest lunar cratering record might be significantly underestimated.
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