Next stop: the Moon

Andrew J Ball, Sarah K Dunkin and David J Heather report on optimistic and innovative ideas raised at the Fourth International Conference on Exploration and Utilisation of the Moon, which resulted in a declaration reviewing the current state of lunar exploration and setting targets for future work.     

Exploring the Moon: a UK perspective

Ian Crawford, Mahesh Anand, Andrew Ball and Katherine Joy report on a UK community meeting on lunar exploration, held at the Open University on 24 and 25 September 2007.     

A comparison of seismic risk maps for Italy

National seismic risk maps are an important risk mitigation tool as they can be used for the prioritization of regions within a country where retrofitting of the building stock or other risk mitigation measures should take place. The production of a seismic risk map involves the convolution of seismic hazard data, vulnerability predictions for the building stock and exposure data. The seismic risk maps produced in Italy over the past 10 years are compared in this paper with recent proposals for seismic risk maps based on state-of-the-art seismic hazard data and mechanics-based vulnerability assessment procedures. The aim of the paper is to open the discussion for the way in which future seismic risk maps could be produced, making use of the most up-to-date information in the fields of seismic hazard evaluation and vulnerability assessment.     

Early geophysical maps published by A. Petermann

Early geophysical maps dealing with seismology, geomagnetism, geothermics, and volcanology published by A. Petermann in his journal Geographische Mittheilungen between 1855 and 1878 are shown. Six maps of the highest cartographic standard are reproduced and commented. In Appendix an overview of geological maps edited by A. Petermann is added.     

Global volcanism and tectonism on Mercury: comparison with the Moon

Both morphologic and tectonic studies indicate that Mercury and the Moon have quite different internal histories, despite their apparently similar morphologies. The evaluation of the volcanic surfaces indicates a decreasing volcanism on Mercury at the largest impacting time, despite short and local reactivations. On the Moon, the basaltic volcanism was increasing at the same time and continued for 1 billion years. That indicates a strongly different thermal evolution for these two planetary bodies.A widespread graben pattern is present on the Moon, with a statistical dominance of radial or tangential orientation with respect to the Imbrium basin, thus suggesting a relation between this major basin and the expansion of the Moon.Azimuthal studies show that the compressive structures, observed on the stereographic covered surface of Mercury are not randomly oriented, but seem radial towards the Caloris basin, thus indicating a possible influence of this largest basin on Mercurian contraction.The qualitative and quantitative formulations of these tectonic perturbations induced by large basins will be developed in a companion paper [1].     

Seismic codas on the Earth and the Moon: a comparison

The phenomenon of the seismic coda, which is composed of seismic energy delayed by scattering, is seen on both the Earth and the Moon. On the Moon the scattered coda is very large relative to body wave arrivals with a delay of the time of maximum energy, whereas on Earth scattered codas are relatively small and show no delay of the energy maximum. In both cases the form of the coda is controlled by three distance scales, the mean free path L, which is the average distance seismic energy travels before it is scattered, the attenuation distance $\text{x1}$, which is the average distance seismic energy travels before it is attenuated, and the source-receiver distance R. Two coda models are discussed based on these parameters; a strong scattering (diffusion) model, and a weak scattering (single scattering) model. A discussion of the diffusion scattering model indicates that if $\text{x1/L ? 1}$, diffusion scattering is an appropriate model, but if $\text{x1/L ? 1}$, single scattering is the appropriate model, within the appropriate range of R. A survey of the literature indicates that for the frequency range 0.5–10 Hz, diffusion scattering is important in lunar codas, but for the frequency range 1–25 Hz single scattering is important in terrestrial codas. Another important effect of attenuation is the elimination of scattering paths much longer than $\text{x1}$. On the Moon, this means that seismic energy in the coda can only propagate directly in the near-surface strong scattering zone between surface sources and the seismometer for source-seismometer separations of the order of $\text{(x1L)}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$; otherwise, scattering is limited to regions near the source and the receiver. On Earth, this effect probably prevents multiple scattering.     

Klimovskaya: A new geomagnetic observatory

In 2011 Geophysical Center RAS (GC RAS) began to deploy the Klimovskaya geomagnetic observatory in the south of Arkhangelsk region on the territory of the Institute of Physiology of Natural Adaptations, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences (IPNA UB RAS). The construction works followed the complex of preparatory measures taken in order to confirm that the observatory can be constructed on this territory and to select the optimal configuration of observatory structures. The observatory equipping stages are described in detail, the technological and design solutions are described, and the first results of the registered data quality control are presented. It has been concluded that Klimovskaya observatory can be included in INTERMAGNET network. The observatory can be used to monitor and estimate geomagnetic activity, because it is located at high latitudes and provides data in a timely manner to the scientific community via the web-site of the Russian–Ukrainian Geomagnetic Data Center. The role of ground observatories such as Klimovskaya remains critical for long-term observations of secular variation and for complex monitoring of the geomagnetic field in combination with low-orbiting satellite data.     

Prof. Dr. Eugen A. Thomas zum 65. Geburtstag

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Global heat flow: A new look

A global heat flow map has been derived from existing observations supplemented in areas without data by an empirical predictor based on tectonic setting and age. In continental areas the predictor is based on the observed correlation of heat flow with age of last tectono-thermal event, and in oceanic regions on the observed relation of heat flow to age of ocean floor. The predictor was used to assign mean heat flow values to 5° × 5° grid areas on the globe, weighted according to the relative area of tectonic provinces represented. A spherical harmonic analysis to degree 12 of the heat flow field yields a mean value of 59 mW m^?2, a rms residual of 13 mW m^?2, and an amplitude spectrum which decreases gradually and almost monotonically fromn = 1. The spherical harmonic representation of the heat flow field is free of the unreal distortions which have characterized earlier analyses based on a geographically sparse data set. Areas with residuals greater than 15 mW m^?2 comprise less than 19% of the area of the globe, thus indicating that most heat flow provinces have characteristic dimensions adequately represented in a 12-degree analysis.     

A generalized concept of resultant gradient to interpret potential field maps

The existing concept of the gradient of the potential field anomaly over a 3D source has been generalized. An observed anomaly is modified through a filter based on an assumed source geometry. The first-order derivatives of this modified anomaly in three mutually orthogonal directions form the components of a vector termed the resultant gradient. The gravity anomaly over a point mass, a vertical line mass and the gravity/magnetic anomaly reduced-to-pole over a bottomless right rectangular prism have been suitably modified to yield a specific shape for the amplitude of the resultant gradient in order to decipher the depth of the source centroid/corner. The applicability of the proposed technique is demonstrated by the analyses of a simulated example over a composite source and a real example from published literature with drill-hole information.     

The age of ferroan anorthosite 60025: oldest crust on a young Moon?

SmNd isotopic data for mineral separates from the ferroan anorthosite 60025 define a precise isochron of 4.44 ± 0.02Ga age. This age is roughly 110 m.y. younger than the formation of the first large solid objects in the solar nebula, as recorded by the radiometric ages of the differentiated meteorites. In the magma ocean model for early lunar differentiation, ferroan anorthosites are the first crustal rocks to form on the Moon. If the Moon is as old as the oldest meteorites, the relatively young age determined for 60025 implies either that the magma ocean did not form synchronously with lunar formation, or that the magma ocean required over 100 m.y. before reaching the stage of ferroan anorthosite crystallization. Alternatively, we propose that the accumulated body of radiogenic isotope data for lunar rocks permit the Moon to be as young as 4.44–4.51 Ga. If so, isotopic evidence for chemical differentiation on the Earth at about this same time suggests that the formation of the Moon is reflected in the chemical evolution of the Earth. This, in turn, is consistent with the idea that the materials that now make up the Moon were derived from the Earth, perhaps ejected by collision between the Earth and another very large planetesimal during the final stages of accumulation of the terrestrial planets. Terrestrial origin models for the Moon lessen the requirement that the Earth and Moon each have near chondritic relative abundances of the refractory elements and could require that certain chemical and isotopic characteristics of both bodies be considered in the framework of the chemical mass-balance of the combined Earth-Moon system.     

A new exploration tool: Quantitative core characterization

We will describe a new laboratory system which was designed to be highly automated and portable while maintaining quality. Driving this design was the recognition of the temporal dependence of physical properties. It becomes apparent that some sedimentary rocks, particularly shales, degrade and disaggregare so completely that mechanical or elastic properties cannot be measured. This temporal dependence displays a time scale much shorter than normal weathering but greater than the time for stress relief. A system was designed to permit field characterization of freshly recovered core material. A benefit of automation and portability is a marked increase in measurement efficiency. The attributes of this system permit rapid characterization of a large number of fresh cores in remote, frontier exploration areas. This feature can significantly reduce prospect evaluation time. Statistically significant rock property databases can be created in a short period of time.     

Tectonomicrobiology: A new paradigm for geobiological research

Geomicrobiology is a sub-discipline of geobiology and emphasizes the interaction between microorganisms and their environment on Earth. There is a need to explicitly emphasize the biogeochemical processes performed by microorganisms associated with Earth’s tectonic activities, especially under the framework of the modern theory of plate tectonics. Tectonomicrobiology aims to create a better synergy between microbial and active tectonic processes. This explicit synergy should also foster better communications between solid Earth scientists and life scientists in terms of holistic Earth system dynamics at both tectonic and micro-scales.     

Sediment transport capacity and erosion processes: model concepts and reality

Sediment transport capacity, T_c, defined as the maximum amount of sediment that a flow can carry, is the basic concept in determining detachment and deposition processes in current process-based erosion models. Although defined conceptually and used extensively in modelling erosion, T_c was rarely measured. Recently, a series of laboratory studies designed to quantify effects of surface hydrologic conditions on erosion processes produced data sets feasible to evaluate the concept of T_c. A dual-box system, consisting of 1·8 m long sediment feeder box and a 5 m long test box, was used. Depending on the relative magnitudes of sediment delivery from feeder and test boxes, five scenarios are proposed ranging from deposition-dominated to transport-dominated sediment regimes. Results showed that at 5 per cent slope under seepage or 10 per cent slope under drainage conditions, the runoff from the feeder box caused in the additional sediment transport in the test box, indicating a transport-dominated sediment regime. At 5 per cent slope under drainage conditions, deposition occurred at low rainfall intensities. Increases in slope steepness, rainfall intensity and soil erodibility shifted the dominant erosion process from deposition to transport. Erosion process concepts from the Meyer–Wishmeier, Foster–Meyer and Rose models were compared with the experimental data, and the Rose model was found to best describe processes occurring during rain. A process-based erosion model needs to have components that can represent surface conditions and physical processes and their dynamic interactions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.