Apollo 17 Lunar Sample Catalog Part 1 Stations 2 and 3

379 Pages·2002·27.94 MB·English

JSC#26088
Catalog of
Apollo 17 Rocks
Volume 1-- Stations2 and3 (SouthMassif)
By Graham Ryder
Lunar and PlanetaryInstitute
Space and Life Sciences Directorate
Solar System Exploration Division
Office of the Curator #87
January 1993
NASA
NationalAeronautics and
SpaceAdministration
Lyndon B.JohnsonSpace Center
Houston,Texas
Catalog of
Apollo 17 Rocks
Volume 1u Stations 2 and 3 (South Massif)
By Graham Ryder
LunarandPlanetaryInstitute
NASNJohnson Space Center
Houston,Texas 77058 U.S.A.
January 1993
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The work ofproducing this volume was accomplished inan excellent manner byAnita Dodson (Lockheed), who
transformed rough input into professional output and organized the production virtually single-handedly. She
remained cheerful through missed deadlines and broken promises about input, and greatly encouraged work toget
done under sometimes difficult circumstanees.
This volume was conceived and promoted by the Lunar and Planetary Sample Team under various chairmen, and
has taken an inordinate number of years toreach fruition. Itwas produced with the cooperation of John Dietrich and
Jim Gooding, successive Lunar Sample Curators. They provided the facilities needed todo the work: office space,
computer assistance, and access to the curatorial laboratories, thin sections, and data center, as well as allocation of
personnel to the production. I greatly appreciate the help of the data center personnel (alphabetically) Margo
Albores, Sue Goudie, Jenny Seltzer, and Lee Smith, who assisted with the data pack and thin section retrieval, and
Carol Schwarz and Linda Watts who did some of the proofing.
I thank various people who have provided photographs or unpublished data and other assistance inclarifying some
details. In particular, I thank PaulWarren for supplying some photographs and information, Klaus Keil for returning
a large number of thin sections, and Odette James for supplying a large number ofreprints.
I appreciate the acquiescence of David Black, the Director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute, tomy use of time for
this project. The Lunar and Planetary Institute operates under NASA ConWact #4574. This volume is Lunar and
Planetary Institute Coutribution # 805.
CONTENTS
Introduction ..................................................................................................... v
The Apollo 17Mission ......................................................................... v
Apollo and Luna Sampling Locations ................................................. vi
Apollo 17 Landing Site Region .......................................................... vii
Apollo 17Traverse Area .................................................................... viii
Numbering of Apollo Samples ............................................................. x
Sample Inventory ......................................................................................... xiii
Sample Descriptions ........................................................................................ 1
References .................................................................................................... 355
INTRO_v
INTRODUCTION
The Catalog of Apollo 17 information on the sample, as dissection and allocations of
rocks is a set ofvolumes that well as some unpublished the samples is preserved in the
characterize each of 334 information. References Data Packs in the Office of the
individually numbered rock which are primarily bulk Curator.
samples (79 larger than 100 g) interpretations of existing data
in the Apollo 17collection, or mere lists of samples are Where possible, ages based
showing what each sample is not generally included, on Sr and Ar isotopes have
and what is known about it. Foreign language journals been recalculated using the
Unconsolidated regolith were not scrutinized, but little "new" decay constants
samples are not included. The data appears to have been recommended by Steiger and
catalog isintended to be used published 9_0.!yin.1such J[iger (Earth Planet. Sci.
byboth researchers requiring journals. We have attempted Lett. 36, 359-362); however,
sample allocations and a broad to be consistent in format in many of the reproduced
audience interested in Apollo across all ofthe volumes, and diagrams the ages correspond
17rocks. The volumes are have used a common with the "old" decay
arranged geographically, with reference list that appears in constants. In this volume,
separate volumes for the all volumes, mg' or Mg' = atomic Mg/(Mg
South Massif and Light +Fe).
Mantle; the North Massif; and Much valuable information
two volumes for the mare exists in the original Apollo
plains. Within each volume, 17Lunar Sample Information THE APOLLO 17
the samples are arranged in Catalog (1973) based on the MISSION
numerical order, closely intense and expert work of the
corresponding with the Preliminary Examination On December 11, 1972, the
sample collection stations. Team. However, that catalog Apollo 17lunar excursion
The present volume, for the was compiled and published module "Challenger,"
South Massif and Light only four months after the descending from the
Mantle, describes the 55 mission itself, from rapid Command Service Module
individual rock fragments descriptions of usually dust- "America," landed in a valley
collected at Stations 2, 2A, 3, covered rocks, usually near the edge of Mare
and LRV-5. Some were without anything other than Serenitatis (Figures 1and 2).
chipped from boulders, others macroscopic observations, It was the sixth and final
collected as individual rocks, and less often with thin landing in the Apollo
some by raking, and a few by sections and a little chemical program. Astronauts Eugene
picking from the soil in the data. In the nearly two Ceman and Harrison Schmitt
processing laboratory, decades since then, the rocks spent 72 hours at the site,
have been substantially named Taurus-Littrow from
Information on sample subdivided, studied, and the mountains and a crater to
collection, petrography, analyzed, with numerous the north. The site was
chemistry, stable and published papers. These make geologically diverse, with the
radiogenic isotopes, rock the original Information mountain ring of the
surface characteristics, Catalog inadequate, Serenitatis basin and the lava
physical properties, and outmoded, and in some cases fill in the valley. The main
curatorial processing is erroneous. However, that objectives of the mission were
summarized and referenced as Catalog contains more to sample very ancient
far as it is known upto early information on macroscopic material such as pre-Imbrian
1992. The intention has been observations for most samples highlands distant from the
to be comprehensive--to than does the present set of Imbrium basin, and to sample
include allpublished studies volumes. Considerably more pyroclastic materials believed
of any kind that provide detailed information onthe
vi--INTRO
Figure 1: Apollo and Luna sampling sites on the near side of the Moon. $84-31673
pre-mission to be substantially from a landslide from the characterize and document the
younger than mare basalts South Massif. The traverses site. Descriptions of the pre-
collected on previous totalled more than 30km, and mission work and objectives,
missions, nearly 120 kg of rock and soil the mission itself, and results
were collected (Figure 3). are described in detail in the
The crew spent more than 22 This total sample mass was Apollo 17Preliminary Science
hours on the lunar surface, greater than on any previous Report (1973; NASA SP-330)
using the rover to traverse mission. An Apollo Lunar and the Geological
across the mare plains and to Surface Experiments Package Exploration of the Taurus-
the lower slopes of the South (ALSEP) was set upnear the Littrow Valley (1980; USGS
and North Massifs, and over a landing point. Other Prof. Paper 1080), and others
lightmantle in the valley that experiments and numerous listed in the bibliography at
appeared to have resulted photographs were used to the end of this section. Many
INTRO--vii
Figure 2: Apollo 17 landing site region showing major geographic features. ASI7-M-447
of the rock samples have been ofthe order of 1400m thick, valley fill and part ofthe
studied in detail, and some, The sequence consists of nearby highlands. However,
particularly massif boulders, several different types of they were found to be not
have been studied in co- basalt thatcannot easily be considerably younger than
ordinated fashion in formal related toeach other (or other Apollo volcanics, but
consortia. Apollo 11high-Ti mare only slightly younger than the
basalts) by simple igneous valley fiU.These glasses too
The valley floor samples processes, but instead reflect arehigh-Ti basalt in
demonstrate that the valley varied mantle sources, composition. The orange
consists of a sequence of mixing, and assimilation, glasses occur in the rocks
high-Ti mare basalts that were Orange glass pyroclastics only as components of some
mainly extruded 3.7 to 3.8 Ga were conspicuous, and is the regolith breccias.
ago. The sequence is perhaps unit that mantles both the
viii--INTRO
SouthMassif
Figure 3: Apollo 17 traverse and sample collection map.
The sampling ofthe massifs chemistry to first type, butis which formed meter-sized
was directed at coherent more aluminous and much clasts or individual boulders),
boulders and some rocks, and poorer in TiO2. It contains a as well as more evolved types
are dominated by a particular much greater abundance and including gabbros and
type of crystalline impact melt variety ofclast types. Opinion felsic/granitic fragments.
breccia. This is found on both still differs as to whether these Feldspathic granulites are
massifs, and is characterized aphanites are a variant of the common asclasts in the melt
by an aluminous basalt Serenitatis melt orrepresent matrices (both aphanitic and
composition and a poikilitic something distinct. Both poikilitic) and occur as a few
groundmass. The samples are aphanitic and poikilitic melts small individual rocks.
widely interpreted as part of seem to be most consistent Geochronology shows that
the impact melt produced by with an age ofclose to 3.87 many of these granulites and
the Serenitatis basin event (+/- 0.02) Ga. A few rare pristine igneous rocks date
itself. A second type of impact samples ofimpact melt have back asfar as 4.2 and even
melt, dark and aphanitic, is distinct chemistry. Other rock 4.5 Ga. The purer soils of the
represented only by samples and clasts are pristine igneous South Massif contain more
from the South Massif rocks, including dunite, alumina and only half of the
stations. It is similar in troctolite, and norite (some of incompatible element budget
]]¢£RO--ix
ROCK SAMPLE COLLECTION SITES
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Planimetric Map of Station 2
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x--INTRO
ofthe dominant impact melt Schmitt H..H. (1973) Apollo The first digit (7) is the
rocks, demonstrating that the 17report on the valley of mission designation for
massifs, representing pre- Taurus-Littrow. Science Apollo 17(missions prior to
Serenitatis material, have a 183, 681-690 Apollo 16used the first two
component not well digits). As with Apollo 15
represented in the larger Wolfe E. W. and others and 16numbers, the Apollo
collected samples. (1981) The geologic 17numbers are grouped by
Conspicuously absent, and Investigation ofthe Taurus- sampling site. Each group of
not the "missing" component Littrow valley: Apollo 17 one thousand numbers applies
in the soil, is ferroan landing site. U.S. Geological to an area as follows:
anorthosite, common at the Survey Prof. Paper 1080.
Apollo 16site and widely The first numbers for each
believed to have formed an area were used for drill stems,
early lunar crust, drive tubes, and the SESC.
NUMBERING OF Drill stem sections and double
APOLLO 17 SAMPLES drive tubes are numbered
BIBLIOGRAPHY from the lowermost section
As in previous missions, five upward.
Apollo Field Geology digit sample numbers are
Investigation Team (1973) assigned each rock (coherent The last digit is used to code
Geologic exploration of material greater than about 1 sample type, in conformity
Taurus-Littrow: Apollo 17 cm), the unsieved portion and with the conventions used for
landing site. Science 182, each sieve fraction of scooped Apollo 15and Apollo 16.
672-680 <1 cm material, the drill bit Fines from a given
and each drill stem and drive documented bag are ascribed
Apollo Lunar Geology tube section and each sample numbers according to:
InvestigationTeam (1973) ofspecial characteristics.
Documentation and
environment of the Apollo 17
samples: A preliminary report. Sampling Site Initial Number
U.S. Geological Survey
Interagency Report: LM, ALSEP, SEP, and samples collected
Astrogeology 71. betweenStation5andtheLM 70000
Apollo 17Preliminary Station1A 71000
Examination Team (1973)
Apollo 17lunar samples: Station2andbetweenitandtheLM 72000
Chemical and petrographic
description. Science 182, Station 3 and between itand Station 2 73000
659-672
Station 4 and between itand Station 3 74000
Apollo 17Preliminary Science Station5andbetweenitandStation4 75000
Report (1973)
Aeronautics and Space Station 6and between itand the LM 76000
Administration SP-330
Station 7 and between itand Station 6 77000
Bailey N.G and Ulrich G.E.
(1975) Apollo 17 voice Station 8 and between itand Station 7 78000
transcript pertaining to the
geology of the landing site. Station9andbetweenitandStation8 79000
U,$, Geological Survey Rept.