¹Vladimir V. Svetsov, ¹Valery V. Shuvalov
¹Institute for Dynamics of Geospheres, Russian Academy of Sciences, Leninskiy Prospekt 38-1, Moscow, 119334, Russia

In this study we numerically simulated the impacts of asteroids and comets on the Moon in order to calculate the amount of condensate that can be formed after the impacts and compare the results with data for lunar samples. Using available equations of state for quartz and dunite, we have determined pressure and density behind shock waves in these materials for particle velocities behind the shock from 4 to 20 km/s and obtained release adiabats from various points on the Hugoniot curves to very low pressures. For shock waves with particle velocities behind the front below 8 km/s the release adiabats intersect the liquid branch of the two-phase curve and, during the following expansion, the liquid material vaporizes and does not condense, forming a two-phase mixture of melt and vapor. The condensate can appear during expansion of material compressed by a shock with higher (>8 km/s) velocities. Using our hydrocode SOVA, we have conducted numerical simulations of the impacts of spherical quartz, dunite, and water-ice projectiles into targets of the same materials. Impact velocities were 15-25 km/s for stony projectiles and 20-70 km/s for icy impactors, and impact angles were 45°and 90° to the target surface. Along with the masses of condensates we calculated the masses of vaporized and melted material. Upon the impact of a projectile consisting of dunite into a target of quartz at a speed of 20 km/s at an angle of 45°, vaporized and melted masses of the target are equal to 1.6 and 11 in units of projectile mass, respectively, and the mass of condensate is 0.19. Vaporized and condensed masses of the projectile are 0.16 and 0.02, the rest mass of the projectile is melted. The calculated ratio of vaporized to melted mass proved to be on the order of 0.1. However, we calculated that, at impact velocities below 20 km/s, the condensate mass is only a small fraction of the vaporized and melted masses and, consequently, the major part of vapor disperses in vacuum in the form of separate molecules or molecular clusters. At an impact velocity of 15 km/s, the abundance of silicate condensates relative to melt is 0.001 – 0.0001, in agreement with data from lunar samples. Should the observed condensate abundances be representative, the velocities of major asteroid impacts on the Moon could not substantially exceed 20 km/s. Comet impacts at the same velocities produce much smaller amounts of vapor condensate because the low densities of cometary material induce lower shock pressures in the target.

Reference
Svetsov VV, Shuvalov VV (2015) Silicate impact-vapor condensate on the Moon: Theoretical estimates versus geochemical data. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press)
Link to Article [doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.10.019]
Copyright Elsevier

¹T.S. Peretyazhko, ¹B. Sutter, ²R.V. Morris, ³D.G. Agresti, ¹L. Le, ²D.W. Ming
¹Jacobs, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
²NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX 77058
³University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL 35294

Phyllosilicates of the smectite group detected in Noachian and early Hesperian terrains on Mars have been hypothesized to form under neutral to alkaline conditions. These pH conditions would also be favorable for formation of widespread carbonate deposits which have not been detected on Mars. We propose that smectite deposits on Mars formed under moderately acidic conditions inhibiting carbonate formation. We report here the first synthesis of Fe/Mg smectite in an acidic hydrothermal system [200 °C, pHRT ∼4 (pH measured at room temperature) buffered with acetic acid] from Mars-analogue, glass-rich, basalt simulant with and without aqueous Mg or Fe(II) addition under N2-purged anoxic and ambient oxic redox conditions. Synthesized Fe/Mg smectite was examined by X-ray-diffraction, Mössbauer spectroscopy, visible and near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electron microprobe to characterize mineralogy, morphology and chemical composition. Alteration of the glass phase of basalt simulant resulted in formation of the Fe/Mg smectite mineral saponite with some mineralogical and chemical properties similar to the properties reported for Fe/Mg smectite on Mars. Our experiments are evidence that neutral to alkaline conditions on early Mars are not necessary for Fe/Mg smectite formation as previously inferred. Phyllosilicate minerals could instead have formed under mildly acidic pH conditions. Volcanic SO2 emanation and sulfuric acid formation is proposed as the major source of acidity for the alteration of basaltic materials and subsequent formation of Fe/Mg smectite.

Reference
Peretyazhko TS, Sutter B, Morris RV, Agresti DG, Le L, Ming DW (2015) Fe/Mg smectite formation under acidic conditions on early Mars. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta (in Press)
Link to Article [doi:10.1016/j.gca.2015.10.012]
Copyright Elsevier