Mineralogy and petrology of fragments From the Luna 24 core

Abstract

Luna 24, the Soviet lunar mission of August 1976, recovered a 170 g core of regolith material from Mare Crisium, on the eastern limb of the Moon. This paper describes the petrology and mineralogy of five rock fragments and the 75-106 pm fine fractions from three levels in this core. Nearly all the minerals analysed are derived from the basaltic rocks native to Mare Crisium, very few are transported highland material. The proportion of highland material occurring as glass fragments in the fine fractions is larger than that which is present as mineral fragments.