Volcanic activity of the Moon and chemical characterisation of the lunar mantle

Lunar meteorite from northwest Afrika. Photo Renaud Merle.

The purpose of this project is to understand the evolution of the Moon’s mantle through time by deciphering the origin of the chemical characteristics of lunar basaltic rocks.

Details

Period: 2021-01-01 – 2024-12-31
Budget: 3,360,000 SEK
Funder: Swedish Research Council
Type of funding: Project grant

Description

This project involves the determination of high-accuracy in-situ U-Pb dates and initial Pb isotope ratios by SIMS in lunar gabbros and basalts.

This is followed by the determination of the initial Sr-Nd-Hf radiogenic isotope ratios and Fe stable isotope ratios by Multi-Collection Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) using wet chemistry on the dated samples.

In addition, a new pilot project is focusing on in-situ determination by SIMS (CAMECA IMS 1280) of halogen contents (F, I, Cl, Br) and Cl isotopic ratios in phosphates from a limited number of basalts and gabbros.

Project members

Project leader: Renaud Merle

Co-investigators: Alexander Nemchin (Curtin University), Martin Whitehouse (Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet)

Publications

A micrometeorite from a stony asteroid identified in Luna 16 soil

Demidova, S. , I; Whitehouse, M. J.; Merle, Renaud E.; Nemchin, A. A. et al.

Part of Nature Astronomy, p. 560-567, 2022
- DOI for A micrometeorite from a stony asteroid identified in Luna 16 soil
Pb Isotope Signature of a Low-ÎŒ (²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) Lunar Mantle Component

Merle, Renaud E.; Nemchin, Alexander A.; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Kenny, Gavin G. et al.

Part of Journal of Petrology, 2024
- DOI for Pb Isotope Signature of a Low-ÎŒ (²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) Lunar Mantle Component
- Download full text (pdf) of Pb Isotope Signature of a Low-ÎŒ (²³⁸U/²⁰⁴Pb) Lunar Mantle Component
Petrology and chronology of mare components in lunar basaltic breccia meteorite Northwest Africa 12384

Yen, Christopher J. -K.; Carpenter, Paul K.; Deligny, Cecile; Nemchin, Alexander et al.

Part of Meteoritics and Planetary Science, p. 2998-3020, 2024
- DOI for Petrology and chronology of mare components in lunar basaltic breccia meteorite Northwest Africa 12384
- Download full text (pdf) of Petrology and chronology of mare components in lunar basaltic breccia meteorite Northwest Africa 12384
Two episodes of lunar basaltic volcanism in Mare Fecunditatis as revealed by Luna-16 soil samples

Demidova, Svetlana; Nemchin, Alexander; Merle, Renaud; Guan, Yue et al.

Part of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, p. 319-336, 2025
- DOI for Two episodes of lunar basaltic volcanism in Mare Fecunditatis as revealed by Luna-16 soil samples
U-Pb isotope systematics and impact ages recorded by a chemically diverse population of glasses from an Apollo 14 lunar soil

Nemchin, A. A.; Norman, M. D.; Grange, M. L.; Zeigler, R. A. et al.

Part of Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, p. 206-243, 2022
- DOI for U-Pb isotope systematics and impact ages recorded by a chemically diverse population of glasses from an Apollo 14 lunar soil
- Download full text (pdf) of U-Pb isotope systematics and impact ages recorded by a chemically diverse population of glasses from an Apollo 14 lunar soil