COMPARISON OF LUNAR WITH TERRESTRIAL AND METEORITIC ROCKS*
AUTOR(ES)
Turner, Francis J.
RESUMO
This note examines critically recent attempts to identify or closely correlate lunar surface samples—on the basis of alpha-scattering analysis—with terrestrial igneous rocks (basalts) or with eucrite meteorites. Basalts show considerable variety; but all have chemical characteristics inherited from terrestrial mantle rock melted under a limited range of terrestrial pressure-temperature conditions. What is characteristic is not so much the content of any particular element or oxide—e.g., SiO2 47-52 per cent—but rather a complete chemical pattern in which such ratios as Fe/Mg and Ca/(Na + K) show consistent relationships to Si content. These are the chemical criteria that might be useful in comparing terrestrial basalt with extraterrestrial rocks. Basalts also have distinctive mineralogical and textural characteristics; and if a lunar or meteoritic rock is to be identified as basalt it must possess these, too.
ACESSO AO ARTIGO
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=223337Documentos Relacionados
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