| Popis: |
Analytical data for 40 elements are reported for Apollo 16 soils 60601, 61181, 61501, 64801, 67701, 68501, 65701 and breccias 60015, 60017, 60018, 60315, 61016, 61175, 65015 and 66055. The soils are uniform except for the North Ray Crater rim sample which is richer in Al2O3. The breccia components show great diversity in composition. Low-K Fra Mauro basalt, Highland basalt (anorthositic gabbro) and plagioclase are important constituents. Medium-K Fra Mauro basalt is an important constituent of breccias 65015 and 60315. The breccias contain many meteorite fragments and high nickel contents, evidence of the early highland bombardment. Most of the refractory elements (REE, Th, U, Zr, Hf, Nb, Ba) show strong positive correlations, interpreted as resulting from mixing. The REE patterns of the breccias show extreme variation relative to chondrites. There is a good inverse correlation between REE and the europium anomaly ( Eu Eu x ). The La Yb ratio is constant at 3.1 except in plagioclase. Eu depletion or enrichment is interpreted as due to addition or removal of plagioclase. The Cayley and Descartes formations cannot be distinguished chemically and the differences in surface expression are not due to chemical distinctions. They are interpreted as structural differences, related to early highland cratering and mare basin formation. The complex soil and breccia compositions are related to mixing of four components. These are Low-K Fra Mauro basalt, Highland basalt (anorthositic gabbro) and subordinate plagioclase and Medium-K Fra Mauro basalt. These compositions have been used in a computer program (PETMIX III) to provide fits for the analytical data in terms of the end-members. An average highland composition is proposed, based on the Apollo 15 and 16 orbital data for Si, Al, Mg and Th. Abundances for most other elements are derived from the interelement relationships and correlations, and checked by the mixing program. The resulting composition consists of 69 per cent Highland basalt (anorthositic gabbro) and 31 per cent Low-K Fra Mauro basalt. There is no significant Eu anomaly. The abundances are: SiO2: 45.2 per cent; TiO2: 0.68 per cent; Al2O3: 24.9 per cent; FeO: 6.3 per cent; MgO: 8.5 per cent; CaO: 13.8 per cent; Na2O: 0.4 per cent; K2O: 0.11 per cent; Cr2O3: 0.11 per cent; Ba: 144 ppm; Th: 1.8 ppm; U: 0.46 ppm; Pb: 1.6 ppm; Zr: 156 ppm; Hf: 3.2 ppm; Nb: 10.8 ppm; Y: 32 ppm; ΣREE: 85 ppm. |
