Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site
Abstract The lunar penetrating radar (LPR) onboard the Chinese Chang'e‐3 (CE‐3) mission obtained high‐resolution profile data for the continuous ejecta deposits of the Ziwei crater. Geological background suggests that the continuous ejecta deposits contain few large boulders, and the ejecta dep...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
2020-10-01
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| Series: | Earth and Space Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000862 |
| _version_ | 1828262486386671616 |
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| author | Chunyu Ding Chunlai Li Zhiyong Xiao Yan Su Shuguo Xing Yichen Wang Jianqing Feng Shun Dai Yuan Xiao Meijuan Yao |
| author_facet | Chunyu Ding Chunlai Li Zhiyong Xiao Yan Su Shuguo Xing Yichen Wang Jianqing Feng Shun Dai Yuan Xiao Meijuan Yao |
| author_sort | Chunyu Ding |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The lunar penetrating radar (LPR) onboard the Chinese Chang'e‐3 (CE‐3) mission obtained high‐resolution profile data for the continuous ejecta deposits of the Ziwei crater. Geological background suggests that the continuous ejecta deposits contain few large boulders, and the ejecta deposits were largely originated from the pre‐impact regolith. Using the top ~50 ns of radar data, we estimate the bulk density and porosity for the ejecta deposits based on hyperbolic echo patterns in the radargram that are caused by subsurface boulders. The physical properties are close to those of typical lunar regolith. Numerous subparallel and discontinuous short layers are visible in the radargram of the continuous ejecta deposits. The dielectric coefficients of the layering structures are estimated, and their permittivity is slightly larger than that of typical lunar regolith and less than that of basaltic rocks. Cratering physics together with the geological context of this area suggest that the layering structures are most likely ground gravels and/or melt‐welded breccias that were sheared due to the horizontal momentum of the impact ejecta. This interpretation is indicative of the origin of the enigmatic layering structures in regolith core samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions. The results also highlight the importance of ejecta emplacement in shaping the structure of lunar regolith. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:56:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6ddf3648c816440380687a73e8ac4242 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2333-5084 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:56:47Z |
| publishDate | 2020-10-01 |
| publisher | American Geophysical Union (AGU) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Earth and Space Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-6ddf3648c816440380687a73e8ac42422022-12-22T03:03:37ZengAmerican Geophysical Union (AGU)Earth and Space Science2333-50842020-10-01710n/an/a10.1029/2019EA000862Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing SiteChunyu Ding0Chunlai Li1Zhiyong Xiao2Yan Su3Shuguo Xing4Yichen Wang5Jianqing Feng6Shun Dai7Yuan Xiao8Meijuan Yao9Planetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences Sun Yat‐sen University Zhuhai ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences Sun Yat‐sen University Zhuhai ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaPlanetary Science Institute, School of Earth Sciences China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) Wuhan ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaKey Laboratory of Lunar and Deep Space Exploration, National Astronomical Observatories Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing ChinaPlanetary Environmental and Astrobiological Research Laboratory, School of Atmospheric Sciences Sun Yat‐sen University Zhuhai ChinaAbstract The lunar penetrating radar (LPR) onboard the Chinese Chang'e‐3 (CE‐3) mission obtained high‐resolution profile data for the continuous ejecta deposits of the Ziwei crater. Geological background suggests that the continuous ejecta deposits contain few large boulders, and the ejecta deposits were largely originated from the pre‐impact regolith. Using the top ~50 ns of radar data, we estimate the bulk density and porosity for the ejecta deposits based on hyperbolic echo patterns in the radargram that are caused by subsurface boulders. The physical properties are close to those of typical lunar regolith. Numerous subparallel and discontinuous short layers are visible in the radargram of the continuous ejecta deposits. The dielectric coefficients of the layering structures are estimated, and their permittivity is slightly larger than that of typical lunar regolith and less than that of basaltic rocks. Cratering physics together with the geological context of this area suggest that the layering structures are most likely ground gravels and/or melt‐welded breccias that were sheared due to the horizontal momentum of the impact ejecta. This interpretation is indicative of the origin of the enigmatic layering structures in regolith core samples returned by the Apollo and Luna missions. The results also highlight the importance of ejecta emplacement in shaping the structure of lunar regolith.https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000862Chang'e‐3Moonregolithimpact craterground penetrating radarimpact breccia |
| spellingShingle | Chunyu Ding Chunlai Li Zhiyong Xiao Yan Su Shuguo Xing Yichen Wang Jianqing Feng Shun Dai Yuan Xiao Meijuan Yao Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site Earth and Space Science Chang'e‐3 Moon regolith impact crater ground penetrating radar impact breccia |
| title | Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site |
| title_full | Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site |
| title_fullStr | Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site |
| title_full_unstemmed | Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site |
| title_short | Layering Structures in the Porous Material Beneath the Chang'e‐3 Landing Site |
| title_sort | layering structures in the porous material beneath the chang e 3 landing site |
| topic | Chang'e‐3 Moon regolith impact crater ground penetrating radar impact breccia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2019EA000862 |
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