The Luna structure, India: A probable impact crater formed by an iron bolide

IF 1.8 4区物理与天体物理 Q3 ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

Planetary and Space Science Pub Date : 2023-12-06 DOI:10.1016/j.pss.2023.105826

K.S. Sajinkumar , S. James , G.K. Indu , Saranya R. Chandran , Devika Padmakumar , J. Aswathi , S. Keerthy , M.N. Praveen , N. Sorcar , J.K. Tomson , Anil Chavan , Subhash Bhandari , M. Satyanarayanan , R. Bhushan , A. Dabhi , Y. Anilkumar

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Abstract

The Luna structure of India has been rumored to be an impact crater for more than a decade without any convincing evidence. This structure (1.5–1.8 km) is prominently visible in the low-lying Banni Plains of the tectonically active Kutch Basin as a circular morphological feature with a less-prominent rim. Luna area is strewn with melt-like rocks having high specific gravity and displaying wide range of magnetic properties. It contains minerals like wüstite, kirschsteinite, ulvöspinel, hercynite, and fayalite. The whole rock analysis denotes PGE enrichment, with notably higher average concentrations of Ru (19.02 ppb), Rh (5.68 ppb), Pd (8.64 ppb), Os (6.03 ppb), Ir (10.63 ppb) and Pt (18.31 ppb). The target is not exposed at Luna, owing to the overlying thick sequence of Quaternary sediments. The mineralogical and geochemical signatures points to an impact into a target, which is rich in clay with elevated calcium and silica (sand/silt) content. Geochemical data suggests an iron or stony-iron meteorite as the potential projectile at Luna. The silt layer containing plant remnants, underlying the strewn layer, yielded a radiocarbon age of 6905 years, making Luna the biggest crater to result from an iron bolide within the last 10,000 years.

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月球结构，印度:一个可能的撞击坑形成的铁火流星

十多年来，一直有传言称印度的月球结构是一个陨石坑，但没有任何令人信服的证据。该构造(1.5-1.8 km)在构造活跃的Kutch盆地的低洼班尼平原上以圆形形态特征明显可见，边缘不太突出。月球区域散布着高比重的熔化状岩石，并显示出广泛的磁性。它含有矿物质，如w石，柯施泰因石，ulvöspinel，海长石和费亚利石。全岩分析显示PGE富集，其中Ru(19.02 ppb)、Rh(5.68 ppb)、Pd(8.64 ppb)、Os(6.03 ppb)、Ir(10.63 ppb)和Pt(18.31 ppb)的平均浓度较高。由于月球上覆盖着厚厚的第四纪沉积层序，目标没有暴露在月球上。矿物学和地球化学特征表明撞击目标，该目标富含钙和二氧化硅(砂/粉)含量升高的粘土。地球化学数据表明，一颗铁或石铁陨石可能是月球上的抛射物。散落层下面的淤泥层含有植物残留物，得出的放射性碳年龄为6905年，这使月球成为过去1万年里由铁流星形成的最大陨石坑。

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来源期刊

Planetary and Space Science 地学天文-天文与天体物理

CiteScore

5.40

自引率

4.20%

发文量

126

审稿时长

15 weeks

期刊介绍： Planetary and Space Science publishes original articles as well as short communications (letters). Ground-based and space-borne instrumentation and laboratory simulation of solar system processes are included. The following fields of planetary and solar system research are covered: • Celestial mechanics, including dynamical evolution of the solar system, gravitational captures and resonances, relativistic effects, tracking and dynamics • Cosmochemistry and origin, including all aspects of the formation and initial physical and chemical evolution of the solar system • Terrestrial planets and satellites, including the physics of the interiors, geology and morphology of the surfaces, tectonics, mineralogy and dating • Outer planets and satellites, including formation and evolution, remote sensing at all wavelengths and in situ measurements • Planetary atmospheres, including formation and evolution, circulation and meteorology, boundary layers, remote sensing and laboratory simulation • Planetary magnetospheres and ionospheres, including origin of magnetic fields, magnetospheric plasma and radiation belts, and their interaction with the sun, the solar wind and satellites • Small bodies, dust and rings, including asteroids, comets and zodiacal light and their interaction with the solar radiation and the solar wind • Exobiology, including origin of life, detection of planetary ecosystems and pre-biological phenomena in the solar system and laboratory simulations • Extrasolar systems, including the detection and/or the detectability of exoplanets and planetary systems, their formation and evolution, the physical and chemical properties of the exoplanets • History of planetary and space research