Density and porosity of the lunar crust from gravity and topography
Résumé
Newly obtained gravity and topography data of the Moon, combined with a lithospheric flexure model that considers both surface and subsurface loading, are used to place constraints on the density of the upper crust from a localized spectral admittance analysis. Subsurface loads are found to be relatively unimportant in the highlands, and when subsurface loads are neglected, the best fitting bulk densities for a number of highland regions are found to vary from 2590 to 2870 kg m À3 , with a mean value of 2691 kg m À3. Crustal rock densities estimated from geochemical considerations and global iron and titanium abundances imply somewhat greater densities, which we interpret as porosity affecting the gravity-derived bulk density estimates. The average porosity in the upper few kilometers of crust is calculated to be about 7.7%, which is consistent with porosity estimates of impact-fractured meteorites and terrestrial impact craters. Citation: Huang, Q., and M. A. Wieczorek (2012), Density and porosity of the lunar crust from gravity and topography,
Domaines
Planétologie
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