Lunar farside volcanism in and around the South Pole-Aitken basin

Pasckert JH, Hiesinger H, van der Bogert CH

Forschungsartikel (Zeitschrift) | Peer reviewed

Zusammenfassung

We identified and mapped 129 mare basalt deposits in and around the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin, and determined absolute model ages (AMAs) for 101 of these units by performing crater size-frequency distribution (CSFD) measurements. The derived AMAs range from 2.2 Ga to 3.7 Ga, with the youngest deposits within Antoniadi crater and the oldest deposits at Jules Verne crater. Our investigations indicate a major peak in volcanic activity between 3.6 Ga and 3.2 Ga, which is a similar time range as the major volcanic activity on the nearside, and the rest of the farside. However, a second peak in volcanic activity (2.2-2.5 Ga), as observed for the nearside and parts of the farside, is not observed for the mare deposits within the SPA basin. Combining all AMAs derived for farside mare basalts reveals that volcanic activity was more abundant and lasted longer on the nearside than on the farside. We propose that the stripping of insulating crust by the large SPA-forming impact event, in combination with lower amounts of heat producing elements like Th, might be responsible for the reduced volcanic activity in the SPA basin. In addition, we estimated the thicknesses and volumes of the investigated mare deposits. With thicknesses between ∼31 m and ∼273 m and volumes of ∼1 km³ to ∼2630 km³, the mare basalt deposits in and around the SPA basin show a wide range of dimensions, similar to other mare basalts of the near- and farsides. A trend between the AMAs and the estimated volumes was not observed, but the mare deposits within the large northern craters (e.g., Apollo, Ingenii, or Leibnitz) seem to be generally larger and more voluminous than the mare basalt deposits at the center of the SPA basin.

Details zur Publikation

FachzeitschriftIcarus
Jahrgang / Bandnr. / Volume299
Seitenbereich538-562
StatusVeröffentlicht
Veröffentlichungsjahr2018
Sprache, in der die Publikation verfasst istEnglisch
DOI10.1016/j.icarus.2017.07.023
StichwörterMoon; Surface; Volcanism; Cratering; Geological processes

Autor*innen der Universität Münster

Hiesinger, Harald
Professur für Geologische Planetologie (Prof. Hiesinger)
Pasckert, Jan Hendrik
Professur für Geologische Planetologie (Prof. Hiesinger)
van der Bogert, Carolyn
Professur für Geologische Planetologie (Prof. Hiesinger)

Projekte, aus denen die Publikation entstanden ist

Laufzeit: 01.08.2015 - 31.01.2020 | 2. Förderperiode
Gefördert durch: Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie
Art des Projekts: Beteiligung an einem bundesgeförderten Verbund

Promotionen, aus denen die Publikation resultiert

Volcanic evolution of the southern lunar farside
Promovend*in: Pasckert, Jan Hendrik | Betreuer*innen: Hiesinger, Harald
Zeitraum: bis 17.05.2021
Promotionsverfahren erfolgt(e) an: Promotionsverfahren an der Universität Münster