On reconciling the models of the interior structure of the moon with gravity data

Abstract

The problem of reconciling the models of the interior structure of the Moon inferred from the inversion of the petrological-geophysical and seismic data with the Love number k 2 is considered. It is possible to fit the model to the empirical Love numbers if the shear modulus in the base of the mantle is allowed to decrease, which can be interpreted as the presence of the zone with partially molten mantle material in the vicinity of the core. The temperature profiles in the lunar mantle reconstructed from seismic P- and S-velocities indicate that in order for the solidus temperature be achieved at a depth of about 1400 km, the temperature at a depth of about 1000 km should be at least 1350–1400°C. The problem concerning the possibility/impossibility of partial melting near the core, whose solution largely depends on the reliability of the velocity data for the base of the lower mantle at its boundary with the core, requires further study.