Abundance and distribution of radioelements in lunar terranes: Results of Chang’E-1 gamma ray spectrometer data

Abstract

The gamma ray spectrometer (GRS) onboard Chang’E-1 has acquired valuable datasets recording the gamma ray intensities from radioelements (Potassium (K), Thorium (Th) and Uranium (U), etc.) on lunar surface. We extracted the elemental concentrations from the GRS data with spectral fitting techniques and mapped the global absolute abundance of radioelements in terms of the ground truths from lunar samples and meteorites. The obtained global concentration maps of these radioelements indicate heterogeneous distribution among three major lunar crustal terranes (i.e., Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), Feldspathic Highlands Terrane (FHT), and South Pole Aitken Terrane (SPAT)) in relation with their origin and distinct geologic history. The majority of radioelements are restricted in PKT, approving the scenario of KREEP (Potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE), Phosphorus (P)) residua concentrating under the Procellarum region. Moreover, we found the consistency of distribution for radioelements and basalts, concluding that the subsequent volcanism might be associated with local concentrations of radioelements in western Oceanus Procellarum and northwestern South Pole Aitken Basin. The prominent and asymmetric radioactive signatures were confirmed in SPAT comparing to FHT dominated by low level radioactivity, while the magnitudes are much lower than that of PKT, indicating a primary geochemical heterogeneity for the Moon.