Primary and secondary magnetizations in lunar rocks - Implications for the ancient magnetic field of the Moon

Abstract

The nature of the ancient magnetic field of the Moon, in which lunar rocks acquired their remanent magnetism, has emerged as an important potential source of evidence, if somewhat controversial, for a lunar core which at a period in the Moon's history was the source of the magnetic field. Many of the lunar rocks possess a stable, primary remanence (NRM) with characteristics consistent with and indicative of thermo-remanent magnetization, acquired when the rocks cooled in an ambient magnetic field. Also present are secondary components of magnetization, one type of which appears to have been acquired between collection on the Moon and reception in the laboratory and others which were apparently acquired on the Moon. An important question to be answered is whether meteorite impacts play any part in lunar magnetism, either in modifying pre-existing magnetizations or by imparting a shock remanent magnetism (SRM) in a transient magnetic field associated with the impact. With current knowledge, SRM, in either a global lunar magnetic field of a transient field, and TRM cannot be distinguished, and in the paper the secondary magnetization characteristic of lunar rocks are examined to investigate whether their nature favours the presence of a permanent lunar magnetic field or whether they are consistent with an origin as a transient field-generated SRM. Besides terrestrial processes of secondary magnetization, such as viscous, chemical and partial thermoremanent magnetization, possible processes peculiar to the Moon are discussed and their likely importance assessed in relation to lunar sample history. The nature of the secondary magnetizations appear to be best explained on the assumption that they are due to one or more of the processes that require an ambient lunar field, namely viscous, partial thermoremanent and shock magnetization. When associated with other types of evidence obtained from lunar magnetism studies, investigations of lunar sample remanent magnetism now favours the existence of an ancient lunar magnetic field.