Pinpointing the source of a lunar meteorite: implications for the evolution of the moon

Gnos, Edwin; Hofmann, Beda A.; Al-Kathiri, Ali; Lorenzetti, Silvio; Eugster, Otto; Whitehouse, Martin J.; Villa, Igor M.; Jull, A.J. Timothy; Eikenberg, Jost; Spettel, Bernhard; Krahenbuhl, Urs; Franchi, Ian A. and Greenwood, Richard C. (2004). Pinpointing the source of a lunar meteorite: implications for the evolution of the moon. Science, 305(5684) pp. 657–659.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1099397

Abstract

The lunar meteorite Sayh al Uhaymir 169 consists of an impact melt breccia extremely enriched with potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus [thorium, 32.7 parts per million (ppm); uranium, 8.6 ppm; potassium oxide, 0.54 weight percent], and adherent regolith. The isotope systematics of the meteorite record four lunar impact events at 3909 ± 13 million years ago (Ma), 2800 Ma, 200 Ma, and <0.34 Ma, and collision with Earth sometime after 9.7 ± 1.3 thousand years ago. With these data, we can link the impact-melt breccia to Imbrium and pinpoint the source region of the meteorite to the Lalande impact crater.

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