[meteorite-list] SMART-1 Image: Lomonosov - A Large Crater Filled By Lava

[E.P. Grondine]

Hi - 

While the Moon lacks an atmosphere, which is required
for an airblast, isn't it more likely that what we're
seeing here is impact glass rather than lava?  

I can't see how lava would pool at such a shallow
depth, given that the Moon's core hsa been cooled for
some billions of years now.

I suppose we'll just have to wait for the Chinese
rover's results in 2018. 

good hunting,
Ed



--- Ron Baalke <baalke at zagami.jpl.nasa.gov> wrote:

> 
> http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM1R6BUQPE_index_0.html
> 
> Lomonosov - a large crater filled by lava
> SMART-1
> European Space Agency 
> 25 July 2006
> 
> This image, taken by the advanced Moon Imaging
> Experiment (AMIE) on
> board ESA's SMART-1 spacecraft, shows crater
> Lomonosov on the Moon's far
> side.
>  
> AMIE obtained the image on 30 January 2006 from a
> distance of about 2100
> kilometres from the surface, with a ground
> resolution of 190 metres per
> pixel. The imaged area is centred at a latitude of
> 27.8º North and a
> longitude of 98.6º East.
> 
> Crater Lomonosov is a nice example for a large
> crater (92 kilometres in
> diameter) which was filled by lava after the impact,
> thus exhibiting a
> flat floor. The terraced walls indicate 'slumping',
> that is sliding of
> the rocks downwards due to gravity after the end of
> the impact. The
> small craters inside Lomonosov are the result of
> impacts into this lava
> floor which happened after the formation of
> Lomonosov.
> 
> Looking closely to the left half of the crater, one
> can see changes in
> the brightness of the crater floor, resembling
> horizontal paint strokes.
> These can be seen frequently in this area of the
> Moon and are ejecta
> deposits of the young crater Giordano Bruno which is
> at about 300
> kilometres distance.
> 
> The crater is named in honor of Mikhail
> Vassilievitch Lomonossov, a
> Russian physicist (1711 - 1765). He was professor of
> physics at Saint
> Petersburg university and devoted his live to the
> study of the
> properties of matter and electricity.
> 
>  
> For more information
>  
> Jean-Luc Josset, SPACE-X Space Exploration Institute
> Email: jean-luc.josset @ space-x.ch
> 
> Bernard H. Foing, ESA SMART-1 Project Scientist
> Email: bernard.foing @ esa.int
> 
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