Correlation of deep moonquakes and mare basalts: Implications for lunar mantle structure and evolution

Abstract

The genesis of mare basalts and deep moonquakes are important events that have major implications for understanding the thermal evolution and interior dynamics of the Moon. The eruption of mare basalts predominantly from 3.9Ga to 3Ga ago represents one of the most important events in lunar geological history. Deep moonquakes recorded by the Apollo Seismic Network show the dynamic nature of the present-day lunar mantle. In this study, we have correlated the presence of the mare basalts, using FeO concentration as a proxy, with the epicenters of 52 well-located deep moonquake (DMQ) clusters. We determine FeO concentrations of 13wt.% or higher to be representative of the mare basalt deposits. Our analysis shows that over 63% of the DMQs occur within 1° from the mare basalt deposits, while over 80% of the DMQs are within 5° from the mare basalt deposits. Our analysis also shows that for the same amount of randomly distributed DMQs within a spherical cap on the nearside that encompasses all the nearside DMQs, the probability of over 80% of the DMQs occurring within 5° from the mare basalt deposits is about 0.01, thus rejecting a random distribution of the DMQs with respect to the mare basalts. The correlation between mare basalts and the DMQs from our analysis suggests that the mare basalts may be derived from melting processes at relatively large depths, consistent with previous petrology and geodynamic studies. We propose that the water and volatiles in the mare basalt source material (i.e., a mixture of ilmenite cumulates and olivine orthopyroxene, together called MIC) play an important role in causing the DMQs and that the DMQs delineate the present-day locations of MIC in the deep mantle. Since the mare basalts are predominately distributed on the nearside, our results further suggest that the DMQs may indeed be largely nearside features, which is a prediction that can be tested in future lunar seismic exploration.