Abstract
We present a study on lunar interior temperature and heat production by 1D geothermal inversion. With the layered structure and thermal state of the lunar interior reported by lunar seismic and magnetic sounding research, a forward modeling of deep temperature is given based on the theory of thermal conduction. Then, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method is applied to implement the inversion of lunar interior heat production. A six-layer model is solved using a global heat flux of 12 mW/m2 and a near-surface temperature of 250 K. The inversion results show that the crust has an average heat production of approximately 210 nW/m3, the mantle has a depleted heat production varying from 3.7 to 8.1 nW/m3, and the heat production in the lunar core varies from 30 to 36 nW/m3. The distribution of heat production indicates that the present radioisotopes are mainly concentrated in the lunar crust. Different from previous estimates, the heat release in the lunar core may be considerable, similar to the average heat production in the Moon, implying that the residual heat from lunar accretion or radioactive decay is probably substantial; in contrast, perhaps the core was involved to a limit in the material exchange with the mantle. In addition, the obtained heat flux at the core-mantle boundary meets the value required for the core adiabatic process, indicating that the core convection may have stopped.
Published Version
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