The well investigated size-frequency distributions (SFD) for lunar craters is used to estimate the SFD for projectiles which formed craters on terrestrial planets and on asteroids. The result shows the relative stability of these distributions during the past 4 Gyr. The derived projectile size-frequency distribution is found to be very close to the size-frequency distribution of Main-Belt asteroids as compared with the recent Spacewatch asteroid data and astronomical observations (Palomar-Leiden survey, IRAS data) as well as data from close-up imagery by space missions. It means that asteroids (or, more generally, collisionally evolved bodies) are the main component of the impactor family. Lunar crater chronology models of the authors published elsewhere are reviewed and refined by making use of refinements in the interpretation of radiometric ages and the improved lunar SFD. In this way, a unified cratering chronology model is established which can be used as a safe basis for modeling the impact chronology of other terrestrial planets, especially Mars.

Cratering Records in the Inner Solar System in Relation to the Lunar Reference System

Radial thickness variation in impact crater ejecta - Implications for lunar basin deposits

The role of lunar volcanism in the history of the moon is documented using lunar-orbit and earth-based data along with characterizations derived from Apollo and Luna sample-return missions. Characteristics of mare and highland volcanic features are described, Apollo and Luna results are discussed, and the characteristics of other mare deposits and of other highland features of possible volcanic origin are summarized. Major conclusions are that: (1) there is little unequivocal morphologic evidence for highland volcanism, (2) lunar mare lavas appear to have originated from depths of 100 to 500 km, (3) impact melting does not appear to have been a factor in the generation of mare lavas, (4) mare volcanism was characterized by massive outpourings of very fluid volatile-poor lava analogous to terrestrial flood basalts, (5) mare volcanism took place from 3.83 to about 2.5 billion years ago, (6) the preferential occurrence of mare deposits in large impact basins appears to be generically unrelated to basin formation, and (7) a thicker farside crust may be responsible for the distinctive nearside-farside asymmetry of mare deposits.

Lunar volcanism in space and time.

The data base on the lunar regolith is surveyed to form a synthesis of the lunar regolith chemistry, mineralogy, and petrology. The data were derived from samples collected by the Apollo missions 11-17 and the Luna 16, 20, and 24 probes. The missions were sent to sample formations and areas which typified the common observed features of the lunar surface. Drive tubes were used to extract samples from beneath the surface in order to study the relationship between the regolith and the bedrock, as well as to identify the processes that formed the regolith, which is regarded as the prime source of raw materials for early lunar industrial activities. Regolith origins are now understood to be destructive processes of comminution and constructional processes of agglutinate formation. Mixing occurs on the local scale, although lateral transport is inefficient on the moon. The usual contents of the fraction of regolith less than 10 microns in diameter are Al2O3, CaO, Na2O, K2O, light REE, and Th.

The lunar regolith: Chemistry, mineralogy, and petrology

Beyond the Earth, the Moon is the only planetary body for which we have samples from known locations. The analysis of these samples gives us “ground-truth” for numerous remote sensing studies of the physical and chemical properties of the Moon and they are invaluable for our fundamental understanding of lunar origin and evolution. Prior to the return of the Apollo 11 samples, the Moon was thought by many to be a primitive undifferentiated body (e.g., Urey 1966), a concept shattered by the data returned from the Apollo and Luna missions. Ever since, new data have helped to address some of our questions, but of course, they also produced new questions. In this chapter we provide a summary of knowledge about lunar geologic processes and we describe major scientific advancements of the last decade that are mainly related to the most recent lunar missions such as Galileo, Clementine, and Lunar Prospector.

### 1.1. The Moon in the planetary context

Compared to terrestrial planets, the Moon is unique in terms of its bulk density, its size, and its origin (Fig. 1.1a–c⇓), all of which have profound effects on its thermal evolution and the formation of a secondary crust (Fig. 1.1d⇓). Numerous planetary scientists considered the Moon as an endmember among the planetary bodies in our solar system because its lithosphere has been relatively cool, rigid, and intact throughout most of geological time (a “one-plate” planet), and its surface has not been affected by plate recycling, an atmosphere, water, or life. Therefore the Moon recorded and preserved evidence for geologic processes that were active over the last 4–4.5 b.y. and offers us the unique opportunity to look back into geologic times for which evidence on Earth has long been erased (Fig. 1.1c,d⇓). Impact cratering, an exterior process, is considered the most important surface process on the Moon. Internal …

/pdf/new-views-of-lunar-geoscience-an-introduction-and-overview-23j99cttk0.pdf

New Views of Lunar Geoscience: An Introduction and Overview

The Apollo 15 lunar module (LM) landed on the mare surface of Palus Putredinis on the eastern edge of the Imbrium Basin The site is between the Apennine Mountain front and Hadley Rille The objectives of the mission, in order of decreasing priority, were description and sampling of three major geologic features-the Apennine Front, Hadley Rille, and the mare The greater number of periods of extravehicular activity (EVA) and the mobility provided by the lunar roving vehicle (ROVER) allowed much more geologic information to be obtained from a much larger area than those explored by previous Apollo crews A total of 5 hours was spent at traverse station stops, and the astronauts transmitted excellent descriptions of the lunar surface while in transit between stations

Preliminary geologic investigation of the Apollo 15 landing site

The geologic investigation of the Taurus-Littrow Valley; Apollo 17 landing site, with a section on Apollo 17 lunar surface photography

Geology of the Apollo 14 landing site in the Fra Mauro highlands

Preliminary results of examining the lunar rock samples from the Apollo 16 flight are reported. Topics discussed include: premission geologic studies, geologic objectives, description of the site and traverse routes, superficial deposits, and station descriptions.

Preliminary geologic investigation of the Apollo 16 landing site

Preliminary geologic investigations of the Apollo 14 landing site

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