A stress interpretation scheme applied to lunar gravity and topography data

• Published in: Journal of Geophysical Research
• Main Authors: Chambat, Frédéric, Valette, B.
• Other Authors: Laboratoire de Sciences de la Terre (LST), École normale supérieure de Lyon (ENS de Lyon), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Géophysique Interne et Tectonophysique (LGIT), Observatoire des Sciences de l'Univers de Grenoble (OSUG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut polytechnique de Grenoble - Grenoble Institute of Technology (Grenoble INP)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies pour l'environnement et l'agriculture (IRSTEA)-Université Savoie Mont Blanc (USMB Université de Savoie Université de Chambéry )-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2008
• Subjects: stress; gravity; Moon; [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Aitken; South Pole; South pole
• Online Access: https://insu.hal.science/insu-00333769; https://insu.hal.science/insu-00333769v1/document; https://insu.hal.science/insu-00333769v1/file/2007JE002936.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JE002936

International audience We present an approach of the inverse gravimetric problem that allows the gravity to be directly related to the deviatoric stresses without any rheological assumptions. In this approach a new set of parameters is considered: (1) the density variations over equipotential surfaces and the height of interfaces above the corresponding equipotential surfaces and (2) the stress difference. The method is applied to lunar topographic and gravimetric data that are interpreted in term of transversally isotropic deviatoric stress within the Moon. It also provides inference on density and crustal thickness variations. The estimated lateral variation in deviatoric stress is about 500 bars within the crust and upper mantle. In the crust, because of topography, the strongest stress differences take place on the far side, with large lateral compressions beneath the south pole–Aitken basin. Vertical compression under the mascons of the nearside is the main feature within the upper mantle.