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Lunar Cryptomare: New Insights Into the Balmer‐Kapteyn Region
Author(s) -
Wang Xianmin,
Qiu Denggao
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of geophysical research: planets
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2169-9100
pISSN - 2169-9097
DOI - 10.1029/2018je005693
Subject(s) - geology , anorthosite , orbiter , altimeter , basalt , geochemistry , remote sensing , plagioclase , physics , paleontology , astronomy , quartz
Abstract Cryptomaria record the early mare volcanisms and put important constraints on the lunar thermal and volcanic history and on the early partial melting of the mantle. This work focuses on the representative cryptomare region of Balmer‐Kapteyn and employs multisource exploration data including Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Wide Angle Camera, Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera Narrow Angle Camera, Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter Digital Elevation Model (DEM), GLD 100, Chang'E‐1 Interference Imaging Spectrometer, Moon Mineralogy Mapper, Clementine, and Lunar Prospector Gamma‐Ray and Neutron Spectrometers data to provide new insights into the distribution, geometry, buried depth, space weathering, chemical compositions, lithology, and mineralogy of the cryptomare in the Balmer‐Kapteyn region. Some viewpoints are primarily as follows. (1) Cryptomare may widely occur in the Balmer‐Kapteyn region with various small and separate exposure areas. The lithology in this region has an obvious north‐south dichotomy. Alkali suite may dominate the northern region, responsible for the local Th enhancement, whereas ferroan anorthosite suite and magnesian suite may spread over the southern part. Cryptomare may occur in both the north and the south, with most exposures within the craters dominated by alkali suite or ferroan anorthosite suite. (2) The buried depths of the cryptomare may fall into the range from at least ~33 m to at least ~1,849 m. Thus, the buried thickness may be more than ~1.8 km. (3) The buried mare basalts in this region are member of the high‐alumina type and a previously unsampled new type of high‐alumina mare basalts may be revealed. (4) At least two periods of mare volcanisms or at least an intrusion of basaltic lava may have happened in this region. The erupted or intruded mare basalts in the later period are more abundant in Al but relatively poor in Fe, Ti, Ca, and Mg, and some of them were buried or intruded much shallowly (~33 m) under the surface ejecta.