Simultaneous analysis of abundance and isotopic composition of nitrogen, carbon, and noble gases in lunar basalts: insights into interior and surface processes on the Moon

Mortimer, J.; Verchovsky, A. B.; Anand, M.; Gilmour, I. and Pillinger, C. T. (2015). Simultaneous analysis of abundance and isotopic composition of nitrogen, carbon, and noble gases in lunar basalts: insights into interior and surface processes on the Moon. Icarus, 255 pp. 3–17.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2014.10.006

Abstract

Simultaneous static-mode mass spectrometric measurements of nitrogen, carbon, helium, neon, and argon extracted from the same aliquot of sample by high-resolution stepped combustion have been made for a suite of six lunar basalts.

Collecting abundance and isotopic data for several elements simultaneously from the same sample aliquot enables more detailed identification of different volatile components present in the basalts by comparing release patterns for volatiles across a range of temperature steps. This approach has yielded new data, from which new insights can be gained regarding the indigenous volatile inventory of the Moon.

By taking into account N and C data for mid-temperature steps, unaffected by terrestrial contamination or cosmogenic additions, it is possible to determine the indigenous N and C signatures of the lunar basalts. With an average δ15N value of around +0.35‰, the indigenous N component seen in these samples is similar within error to other (albeit limited in number) isotopic measurements of indigenous lunar N. Average C/N ratios for indigenous volatiles in these six basalt samples are much lower than those of the terrestrial depleted mantle, or bulk silicate Earth, possibly suggesting much less C in the lunar interior, relative to N, than on Earth.

Cosmogenic isotopes in these samples are well-correlated with published sample exposure ages, and record the rate of in situ production of spallogenic volatiles within material on the lunar surface.

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