Gary Lofgren on the Lunar Crust

“Dr. Gary Lofgren discusses the current understanding of the crust of the Moon. The presentation begins with a brief overview of the Moon’s surface, and discusses the prevailing Magma Ocean Theory resulting in the formation of the primary, or original, lunar crust. The crust was subsequently modified by impact bombardment and volcanic activity. Compositional variations in the lunar crust are then described as three major terrains: Procellarum KREEP terrain, Feldspathic Highlands terrain, and the South Pole-Aitken basin terrain. It is noted that studying rock samples is the key to understanding the lunar crust. The presentation then focuses on the characteristics and ages of the major rock types found on the Moon: basaltic rocks from mare lava flows, anorthositic rocks in the lunar highlands, impact breccias and melt rocks, and volcanic glasses. The lecture concludes with a brief review of the rock sampling conducted during the Apollo missions, and lessons learned for future lunar surface exploration.” [^ https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/moon101/#crust]

Presented at the NASA Johnson Space Center: 07/30/2008

Video:

https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lunar/moon101/lofgren/

Slides:

http://spudislunarresources.nss.org/moon101/moon_101_crust.pdf