LUNAR HIGHLANDS REGOLITH-DUST FROM BCC9601

by S. Ray DeRusse
May 04, 2002

             updated Nov, 2006

                * The chemical composition of lunar regolith among other factors, is dependent on the original parent composition (crystallized lunar surface and subsurface)         of which BCC 9601 is a parent pre-cursor forming a primary baseline; as primary surface contributor it is mafic poor-acidic rich differentiated highlands              surface crust. In a previous phase separation report by XRD, the technician noted the plagioclase feldspar component as 33%. We have issued a corrected
retabulation and the plagioclase component is actually 48% not 33%. Plagioclase feldspar is a major component of lunar composition as shown by                          BCC9601as well as other relevant research sources.

Important:
If you were sent here via a link from Dr. Randy Korotev of Washington University in St. Louis, please be aware that the document he created represents pseudo-science of the highest order and is completely politically motivated. Political motivation is defined here as; "a need to advance an agenda of scientific misconduct, greed, fraud, and discrimination using science and the academic arena as an operational nerve center". We have already dissected, debunked, and discredited his linked non-scientific document(s) and posted the results on SCIFRAUD.
    I informed Dr. Korotev, "you have a very narrow and fraudulent view of lunar chemistry" (surface and subsurface). Dr. Korotev responded with an apology to BCC Meteorites for his scientific misconduct and attempted fraud on WIKIPEDIA. He did not deny the allegations lodged against him regarding lunar chemistry!
     In essence, Dr. Korotev and a small band of rogue (unsupervised) scientists have constructed a shallow mold to fit their vision of all lunar materials. This short-sighted and faulty vision was shattered by BCC Meteorites as far back as 2002, when we verified Taylor's (HIGP) lunar surface chemistry weaned from the extensive Clementine: Lunar Surface Data Mapping Project. We apologize to the public and legitimate research scientists for any confusion created by these pseudo-scientists at our public and private universities funded by the taxpayers through, including but not limited to the NSF and NASA.

Lunar photograph taken by, and courtesy of Badalotti, Astronomica Langrenus, Cremona, Italia. and BCC9601, Differentiated Lunar Highlands Plagioclase Feldspar, Surface Crust.

Note: The circular-oval marks on BCC9601 surface (large bottom section above right), was caused when trying to slice the sample open. Because elevated levels of Al in the sample makes An very tough material we were unable to cut the sample with a normal diamond wet saw and had to switch half way through the process to an oil lubrication saw normally used for exceptionally hard materials. Anorthosite is very tough stuff.

Color scan above, Particles of Fe2O3 ~10%, and Ilmenite ~1%. The gray ultra fine particles is a further mixture of Alpha Quartz-Cristobalite, Ab-An-K Plagioclase, Pyroxene and Mg end member Phlogopite with Cl and F replacing OH in lattice site occupancies. Sub-mm stellar grain silicates and trace compounds (anhydrous) are also present.

Lunar Regolith is ubiquitous to the surface of the volatile depleted lunar environment and is composed of a wide array of anhydrous silicates and accessory metals. While the lunar surface itself is composed of a narrow range of silicates, the wide array of accessories and accidentals is due to micro-meteorite impact debris and solar wind implantation over millions of years, and the resulting products. "Outside Contaminants". A 15.5 gram part slice from BCC9601 was deconsolidated into micrometer sized particles, and reduced transitional metal fragments were found in the ground products.
What sets this sample apart from the Regolith collected by the Apollo Missions is this sample was not deconsolidated nor reduced from meteorite impact related mechanisms nor debris. Nor does it contain large amounts of micrometeorite particles which would have accumulated on the surface of the Moon over time. This sample is as pure as Lunar Surface Crustal Material (LSCM), can be obtained without making another trip to the Moon. Of course, other lunar regolith (dust) material may be obtained through the same process from existing meteorites but this would yield different compositional results proportional to that sample's origin. The few samples currently recognized and available would be indicative of subcrustal origin, since those meteorites are not pure differentiated plagioclase feldspar surface crust, Al2O3 and SiO2 saturated, low FeO, and TiO2 anorthosites such as BCC9601.(1)

The procedure involved constructing a pounding mechanism from stainless steel tube fitted in a slightly larger sleeve and manually pounding the sample until the desired powdery structure was achieved. The mechanism specifications was not important for the purposes of this procedure, but rather that the apparatus and surrounding area be contamination free.
Since the sample was volatile depleted prior to deconsolidation the only contaminants are those particles found in Earth's atmosphere. This includes moisture and of course oxygen and any gaseous trace elements found in the air. The volatile content may be removed by the buyer through several mechanisms. Approximately 15 grams is available for sale at $75,000.00 per gram. Below is an EDS analysis of this lunar sample as well as several other samples conducted in ~1998

The 15.5 gm part slice (1 cm thk.), of BCC9601 prior to crushing, was laid on a color copier and scanned shown above. The cristobalite to alpha quartz reconstructive transformation is barely distinguishable on the outside edge of the left image although it is very noticeable in the hand sample. At the bottom of the image on the left is noticeable an iron oxide dust, but it is not known if this a result of terrestrial weathering occupying the micro fractures, a hydrothermal contributor to the fractures or if this is impact related. (We do not know if the microfractures are a thermal energy release on the lunar surface, or if the fractures are imapct related or something else). The micro fractures appear to be in key places on the main mass (photo top right of page), coinciding with the magma separation plates readily visible.

In addition to the abundant XRD data for BCC9601, previous scans have included both SEM and EDS. Cl and F are a typical replacement for OH in an anhydrous environment. SEM anlaysis indicates Cl was the dominant element replacing OH. The early Fe migration and removal from the system into a solid solution with TiO2 Ilmenite, Ol, and Pyroxene is due to differentiation of the magma resulting in a recombination of Mg+2 combining with excess enriched K-Al and Si to form a Mg end memeber of Phlogopite. SiO enrichment not used is removed from the system in a gradual and sluggish process to form a high viscosity Cristobalite, i.e. Quartz. Below original XRD pattern showing complete solid solution of (Na,Ca)Al(Si,Al)3O8 Anorthosite and indicating Albite low, Na(Al)Si3O8.

lunar XRD

Below is the XRD pattern showing the best terrestrial fits to the Lunar sample. Notice the Iron Thallium Sulfide designation at the bottom of the scan. As one follows the XRD patterns above and below, notice also the mimicking of the solar abundance's chart found in any chemistry book. In addition to absorbing stellar grain micrometeorites and other impactors, the lunar surface was absorbing solar particles while it was a high Tc magma ocean. Not withstanding magma ocean differentiation and impact events, this record should be locked into its crystal chemistry.

Taylor's "Moon beams and Elements", shows the strong correlation between FeO and TiO2 content of Lunar Highlands material and BCC9601 EDS analysis from above is matches with a good figure of merit containing the normalized ratio of 1 titanium to 10 irons. See Taylor's Moon Beams and Elements. The statistical clustering of data is very significant in the graph in order to establish standard deviation counts for error. It appears that the data provided by the Clementine Mission of mapping the lunar surface and processed by Taylor and various scientists is a significant achievement and is confirmed by BCC9601 as lunar highlands floatation magma, at least for the transitionals.
Taylor writes; " The main types of lunar rocks can be distinguished from one another by their iron and titanium concentrations. (In chemical analyses, these elements are expressed as oxides, FeO and TiO2, because they are chemically bonded to oxygen inside minerals.) Rocks from the highlands, the light colored, rough, mountainous areas of the Moon , contain less FeO than do the maria, which are covered with lava flows. In fact, different groups within highland and maria rocks can be identified with just these two elements."

The abstract below was reprinted from Meteoritics and Planetary Science 34 (1999)

c Meteoritical Society, 1999. Printed in the USA.

Mineralogy of the lunar crust: Results from Clementine

Stefanie Tompkins* and Carle' M. Pieters

*Correspondence author's address: Science Applications International Corporation, 4501 Daly Drive, Suite 400, Chantilly, Va 20151, USA; e-mail address: tompkins@saic.com

Abstract- The central peaks of 109 impact craters across the Moon are examined with Clementine UVVIS camera multispectral data. The craters range in diameter from 40 to 180 km, and are believed to have exhumed material from 5-30 km beneath the surface to form peak, including both upper and lower crustal rocks depending on whether craters have impacted into highlands or basins. Representative five-color spectra from spectrally and spatially distinct areas within the peaks are classified using spectral parameters, including the "key ratio" (which is related to mafic mineral abundance) and "spectral curvature" (linked to absorption band shape, which distinguishes between low and high calcium pyroxene and olivine). The spectral parameters are correlated to mineralogical abundances, related in turn to highland plutonic rock compositions. The derived rock compositions for the various central peaks are presented in a global map. From these results, it is evident that the lunar crust is compositionally diverse, both globally and at local 100-m scales found within individual sets of central peaks. While the central peaks compositions imply a crust that is grenerally consistent with previous models of crustal structure, they also indicate a more anorthositic crust than generally assumed, with a bulk plagioclase content of ~81%, evolving from pure anorthosite near the surface towards more mafic, low-Ca pyroxene-rich compositions with depth (comparable to anorthositic norite). Evidence for mafic plutons occurs in both highlands and basins, and represent all highland mafic rock types. However the crust is more compositionally diverse than the highlands, with both a greater range of rock types and more diversity within individual sets of central peaks.

(1) Lunar Breccias appear to be quite common but (dissimilar) to the crystalline purity of BCC9601 and surface crustal material by default. We are working on a model which shows that the Earth's Moon was bombarded in different stages of its evolution, and that breccias are early stage impactors which fragmented and implanted its constituents into a semi-mature magma ocean providing a cushion for a soft landing of the impactor(s). The products are indicative of lunar surface absorption of random debris which cooled and crytsallized into a semi-mature but evolving satellite. Later impactors disturbed early impactor material exposing the breccia morphology in the form of meteorites, and launching this petrologic type to Earth. It appears that later impactors were massive and violent and occurred primarily within the last ~300Ma yrs when the crytsallized lunar surface was unable to either absorb nor deflect the event resulting in miles deep craters in many areas.

We want to humbly thank Eddie DeRusse and Robert DeRusse of NTS Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas, for their advice, constructing the Apparatus for producing the regolith sample, and sample preparation for us.