Potassium Map from Chang ' E-2 Constraints the Impact of Crisium and Orientale Basin on the Moon

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Zhu, Meng-Hua, Chang, Jin, Ma, Tao, Ip, Wing-Huen, Fa, WenZhe, Wu, Jian, Cai, MingSheng, Gong, YiZhong, Hu, YiMing, Xu, AoAo, Tang, ZeSheng
• Other Authors: Zhu, MH (reprint author), Macau Univ Sci & Technol, Space Sci Inst, Taipa, Peoples R China., Macau Univ Sci & Technol, Space Sci Inst, Taipa, Peoples R China., Acad Sinica, Purple Mt Observ, Nanjing 210008, Peoples R China., Natl Cent Univ, Inst Astron, Tao Yuan 32001, Taiwan., Natl Cent Univ, Inst Space Sci, Tao Yuan 32001, Taiwan., Peking Univ, Inst Remote Sensing & Geog Informat Syst, Beijing 100871, Peoples R China.
• Format: Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: scientific reports 2013
• Subjects: GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETER; SOUTH-POLE AITKEN; LUNAR-SURFACE; PROSPECTOR; ABUNDANCES; EVOLUTION; ERUPTION; OLIVINE; ORIGIN; Aitken; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11897/391765; https://doi.org/10.1038/srep01611

KREEP materials were thought to be last crystallized at the lunar crust and mantle boundary. Impact cratering and volcanism are mainly responsible for their distributions on the lunar surface. Therefore, observation of global KREEP materials and investigation of distributions in the areas of large basins are of critical importance to understand the geologic history of the Moon. Here we report the new global potassium distribution on the Moon detected by Chang'E-2 Gamma-ray Spectrometer. We found that our new measurements are in general agreement with previous observation. A new finding and an important difference is that relatively higher K abundances in the Mare Crisium and Mare Orientale than their surrounding rims were detected for the first time. In light of our observations in these two areas, we propose that Crisium and Orientale basin-forming impact events may have penetrated to the lower crust and excavate the deeper materials to the lunar surface. Multidisciplinary Sciences SCI(E) 1 ARTICLE null 3