A ground-based observation of the LCROSS impact events using the Subaru Telescope

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission was an impact exploration searching for a volatile deposit in a permanently shadowed region (PSR) by excavating near-surface material. We conducted infrared spectral and imaging observations of the LCROSS impacts from 15 min before the first collision through 2 min after the second collision using the Subaru Telescope in order to measure ejecta dust and water. Such a ground-based observation is important because the viewing geometry and wavelength coverage are very different from the LCROSS spacecraft. We used the Echelle spectrograph with spectral resolution λ/Δλ ∼ 10,000 to observe the non-resonant H₂O rotational emission lines near 2.9 μm and the slit viewer with a K′ filter for imaging observation of ejecta plumes. Pre-impact calculations using a homogeneous projectile predicted that 2000 kg of ejecta and 10 kg of H₂O were excavated and thrown into the analyzed area immediately above the slit within the field of view (FOV) of the K′ imager and the FOV of spectrometer slit, respectively. However, no unambiguous emission line of H₂O or dust was detected. The estimated upper limits of the amount of dust and H₂O from the main Centaur impact were 800 kg and 40 kg for the 3σ of noise in the analyzed area within the imager FOV and in the slit FOV, respectively. If we take 1σ as detection limit, the upper limits are 300 kg and 14 kg, respectively. Although the upper limit for water mass is comparable to a prediction by a standard theoretical prediction, that for dust mass is significantly smaller than that predicted by a standard impact theory. This discrepancy in ejecta dust mass between a theoretical prediction and our observation result suggests that the cratering process induced by the LCROSS impacts may have been substantially different from the standard cratering theory, possibly because of its hollow projectile structure.     

Crustal anatexis and formation of two types of granitic magmas in the Kontum massif, central Vietnam: Implications for magma processes in collision zones

Asia grew in the Late Permian by the collision of a number of micro-continents. Syn- to post-collisional magmatism occurred along the continental collision zones . In this study, we report two types of granitic rocks, garnet granite (Grt granite) and orthopyroxene granite (Opx granite), from the Kontum massif, central Vietnam, which is situated on the continental collision zone between the South China and Indochina cratons. These granitic rocks were formed at ca. 250 Ma when high-temperature (HT) and ultrahigh-temperature (UHT) metamorphism took place in the same zone. Based on the petrological and geochemical features compared with previously reported experimental results, garnet-bearing granite is derived from pelitic gneisses by partial melting, whereas orthopyroxene-bearing granite is produced by the partial melting of garnet-bearing mafic granulites. We inferred that a significantly high-geothermal gradient is required to produce Vietnamese granitic magmatism and related HT to UHT metamorphism. This geotherm may be attributed to upwelling mantle plume beneath the Kontum massif during the Late Permian.     

Geologic and metamorphic evolution of the basement complexes in the Kontum Massif, central Vietnam

This paper presents a regional scale observation of metamorphic geology and mineral assemblage variations of Kontum Massif, central Vietnam, supplemented by pressure–temperature estimates and reconnaissance geochronological results. The mineral assemblage variations and thermobarometric results classify the massif into a low- to medium-temperature and relatively high-pressure northern part characterised by kyanite-bearing rocks (570–700 °C at 0.79–0.86 GPa) and a more complex southern part. The southern part can be subdivided into western and eastern regions. The western region shows very high-temperature (> 900 °C) and -pressure conditions characterised by the presence of garnet and orthopyroxene in both mafic and pelitic granulites (900–980 °C at 1.0–1.5 GPa). The eastern region contains widespread medium- to high-temperature and low-pressure rocks, with metamorphic grade increasing from north to south; epidote- or muscovite-bearing gneisses in the north (< 700–740 °C at < 0.50 GPa) to garnet-free mafic and orthopyroxene-free pelitic granulites in the south (790–920 °C at 0.63–0.84 GPa). The Permo-Triassic Sm–Nd ages (247–240 Ma) from high-temperature and -pressure granulites and recent geochronological studies suggest that the south-eastern part of Kontum Massif is composed of a Siluro-Ordovician continental fragment probably showing a low-pressure/temperature continental geothermal gradient derived from the Gondwana era with subsequent Permo-Triassic collision-related high-pressure reactivation zones.