POSSIBILITIES OF STUDYING THE LUNAR SOIL AND COMPARING THE COMPOSITIONS OF LUNAR AND TERRESTRIAL CLINOPYROXENES

Abstract

The problem of compositional analysis of extraterrestrial crystalline rocks in the study of celestial bodies is considered. Since most of the bodies, terrestrial planets and their surrounding objects may contain clinopyroxenes, it is possible to study the temperature and pressure of rock formation in certain areas according to the state of these minerals, and the studies can be carried out identically to the geothermobarometry of Earth rocks. The paper presents the results of experimental studies of clinopyroxene compositions of the basic model system CaO-MgO-Al2O3-SiO2 in the pressure range of 12...30 kbar and temperatures of 1325...1650 °C, which can be assumed as conditions for the formation of lunar rocks. The development of the necessary experimental data obtained in terrestrial conditions will help in the future to conduct remote studies of the Moon and other celestial bodies without the need to deliver soil to Earth. The revealed clinopyroxenes can be analyzed with existing geothermometers and geobarometers obtained for different ranges of P-T conditions. The possibility of creating a new geothermobarometer based on the distribution of minals or cations in clinopyroxene specifically for lunar rocks is not excluded. The main features and possible instrumentation of the apparatus intended for the study of the lunar surface are described. The study of different areas of the lunar surface will determine where the country rocks are located most closely to the surface. Analysis of silicate components of the lunar rocks will make it possible to get closer to the solution to the problem of initial composition of the lunar mantle