Automated Mineralogy Analysis of the Apollo 17 73002 Continuous Core Thin Sections Using QEMSCAN Mapping Techniques

Area of Science:

• Lunar geology and sample analysis
• Planetary science and mineralogy
• Astrogeology

Background:

• Apollo 17 sample 73002, collected from the Taurus-Littrow Valley, was analyzed for its mineralogy and texture.
• The Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) program aims to re-examine lunar samples with advanced techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and analyze clasts of non-lunar meteoritic origin within the Apollo 17 drive tube sample.
• To investigate the mineralogy, texture, and particle size variations with depth in the lunar core.

Main Methods:

• Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by SCANing electron microscopy (QEMSCAN) was employed to identify potential meteoritic clasts.
• Electron microprobe analysis (EMPA) was used to determine the elemental composition of selected clasts.
• Analysis of raw pixel data and QEMSCAN processors to assess mineralogy and particle size distribution.

Main Results:

• 232 clasts of interest were identified, but elemental analysis confirmed all 33 analyzed clasts were of lunar origin.
• No evidence of meteoritic lithic clasts was found in the studied regolith.
• A decrease in glass and agglutinate clasts with depth was observed, suggesting higher soil maturity in the upper core.
• A population of clasts with highly magnesian olivine compositions (Fo92.2-96.5) was identified.

Conclusions:

• The studied Apollo 17 regolith does not contain meteoritic clasts, suggesting any meteoritic component is not in this form.
• The mineralogy and texture, including the dominance of non-mare clasts, support a landslide origin for the material from the South Massif.
• Variations in clast abundance and composition provide insights into lunar soil maturity and depositional processes.