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Structural water in the Bench Crater chondrite returned from the Moon
Author(s) -
ZOLENSKY Michael E.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
meteoritics and planetary science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.09
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1945-5100
pISSN - 1086-9379
DOI - 10.1111/j.1945-5100.1997.tb01235.x
Subject(s) - impact crater , astrobiology , regolith , geology , meteorite , chondrite , carbonaceous chondrite , petrography , asteroid , meteoroid , geochemistry , saponite , clay minerals , physics
— I have reinvestigated the mineralogy of the only carbonaceous chondrite (12037, 188) returned from the Moon and found saponite within, which comprises the first hydrous material returned from the Moon. That this phyllosilicate has survived impact onto the lunar surface suggests that asteroid and cometary impacts could have provided significant quantities of surviving clay (hydrous) minerals into the lunar regolith. The Bench Crater meteorite also provides a glimpse of the petrography of the ancient meteoroid complex, something not possible on the geologically active Earth.