Project Details
Projekt
Nanoscale investigation of volatile-rich phases in the Apollo 16 sample 66095 “Rusty Rock”
Subject Area
Mineralogy, Petrology and Geochemistry
Term
since 2025
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 578464496
The study of sealed Apollo samples is a core component of the Center for Advanced Sample Analysis of Astromaterials from the Moon and Beyond (CASA Moon; C. K. Shearer, P.I.) node of the NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI). The primary targets of CASA Moon are lunar science and lunar sample analysis, including the preparation for and the analyses of lunar samples returned by NASA’s upcoming Artemis III mission. In the proposed project, we will work in the framework of the Origin, Evolution, and In Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) capabilities of lunar volatile reservoirs, aimed to provide insights into the origin, characteristics, behavior, and evolution of volatile reservoirs, and to evaluate the potential of these deposits as future lunar resources. The proposed project will significantly advance our understanding of endogenous lunar volatile resources and their ISRU potential. We will focus on the nanoscale examination of the alteration phases in the Apollo 16 sample 66095, also called “Rusty Rock”. 66095 is of great scientific value because it is the most volatile-rich sample returned by the Apollo program; a unique melt rock produced by impact processes attributed to an ancient lunar fumarole. The sample 66095 serves to better understand the origin and characteristics of interior lunar volatile reservoirs and their behavior during transport and eruption onto the lunar surface, primarily by basaltic magmatism. Three models for the origin of volatile enrichment in Apollo 16 soils are discussed: cometary or meteor impact, magmatic or fumarolic activity. Although the sample has been examined over several decades, especially for isotopic systems, a detailed examination of the alteration mineral assemblages at the nanometer scales is still limited. This project proposes to investigate Fe,Ni metal grains from 66095 rock chips with their associated volatile-rich material by Transmission Electron Microscopy to gain additional insights into the origin and characteristics of the alteration event(s). Importantly, the origin of the chloride-containing iron oxyhydroxides (akaganeite, goethite) or ‘rust’ in 66095 remains a key open question. It is unclear whether these minerals formed on the lunar surface or resulted from terrestrial contamination after collection of the sample. TEM studies will provide direct information about crystallographic relationships, co-genetic formation and/or details about reaction pathways, enabling to better constrain the formation mechanism and process for each mineral phase.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
Belgium, USA
Cooperation Partners
Professor Dr. Charles Shearer; Professor Dr. Laszlo Vincze
