Sample 15614
15614, 15616, 15620, 15622, 15623 and 15630
Section titled “15614, 15616, 15620, 15622, 15623 and 15630”Vesicular Olivine-normative Basalt 9.7, 8.0, 6.6, 29.5, 3,and 23.2 grams
Figure 1: Surface photo of raked area at station 9a, about 20 meters from Hadley Rille. See section on 15600. AS15-82-11155.
Introduction
Section titled “Introduction”These small fragments of vesicular mare basalt were collected as part of the rake sample at station 9a, about 20 meters from the rim of Hadley Rille (figure 1). Their chemical composition is that of an olivine-normative basalt, but olivine does not form obvious phenocrysts.
Petrography
Section titled “Petrography”Dowty et al. (1973 and 1974) and Nehru et al (1974) described 15620 and 15623. Pyroxene, olivine and plagioclase form an interlocking network that is “peppered” by minute opaque minerals; ilmenite and spinel (figures 2-7). Small grains of metallic Ni-Co-Fe are also present. Vesicles are less than 1 mm.
Pyroxene is red-brown (Ryder 1985) and chemically zoned (figures 8 and 9).
Chemistry
Section titled “Chemistry”Apollo 15 basalts have broadly similar composition (figures 10 and 11). Trace elements (inc. REE) are very similar to that of 15555 (Ma et al. 1986, 1988; Fruchter et al. 1973). However, two groups can be distinguished: olivine-normative and pyroxene-phyric (figure 12). 15614, 15616, 15620, 15622, 15623 and 15630 all olivine-normative and have identical trace element content. However, there is evidence of olivine addition or subtraction (figure 10).
Figure 2a: Photo of 15614. Scale in cm. S71-49070.
Figure 3a: Photo of 15616. Scale in cm. S71-49120.
Figure 2b: Photomicrograph of thin section 15614,5 by C Meyer (a) 50x.
Figure 3b: Photomicrographs of thin section 15616,11 by C Meyer @ 50x.
Chappel and Green (1973) analyzed 15622 by XRF and finding very low silica content. Ryder and Schuraytz (2001) and Neal (2001) analyzed relatively large splits of 15622 and 15630.
Radiogenic age dating
Section titled “Radiogenic age dating”Compston et al. (1972) reported Rb and Sr isotopic data for 15622.
Figure 4a: Photo of 15620. Scale in cm. S71-49118.
Figure 5a: Photo of 15622 with portion of 1 inch cube for scale. S71-49107.
Figure 4b: Photomicrographs of thin section 15620,3 by C Meyer @ 50x.
| 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 430 | 1-1-1-1 | |
| 14 | ||
| 187// | 1000.00 um | |
| 100 | e. | |
| 12. | Mr. John J. |
Figure 5b: Photomicrographs of thin section of 15622,20 by C Meyer @ 30x.
Mineralogical Mode
Section titled “Mineralogical Mode”| Olivine | 8 |
|---|---|
| Pyroxene | 63 |
| Plagioclase | 24 |
| Opaques | 4 |
| Silica | 0.2 |
| Meostasis | 0.8 |
| Dowty et al. 1973 |
Other Studies
Section titled “Other Studies”Gose et al. (1972) and Pearce et al. (1973) determined the magnetic remenance of 15614 and 15630.
Figure 6a: Photo of 15623. Scale in cm. S71-49-313.
Figure 6b: Photomicrographs of thin section 15623,3 by C Meyer @ 50x.
Mineralogical Mode
Section titled “Mineralogical Mode”Olivine 9 Pyroxene 61 Plagioclase 24 Opaques 6 Silica Meostasis Dowty et al. 1973
Figure 7a: Photo of rake sample 15630. Scale in cm. S71-49270
Figure 7b: Photomicrographs of thin section 15630,4 by C Meyer @ 50x.
Figure 9: Pyroxene and olivine composition of Figure 8: Pyroxene and olivine composition of 15623 (Dowty et al. 1973). 15620 (Dowty et al. 1973).
Figure 7c: Enlargement of figure 7b.
Figure 10: Composition of small rake samples compared with Apollo basalts.
Figure 11: Normalized rare-earth-element diagram for 15630, with 15601 soil for comparison.
Figure 12: The Apollo 15 basalts can be divided into two groups based on silica content.
Table 1: Chemical composition of 15614, 15616, 15620 and 15622.
| reference Ma78 weight | 15614 | 15616 Ma78 | 15620 Ma76 | 15620 Ryder88 | 15620 Dowty73 | 15622 | 15622 Ryder2001 Neal2001 | 15622 | 15622 Chappell73 Fruchter73 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SiO2 % TiO2 Al2O3 FeO MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 S % sum | 2 8.8 21.3 0.267 11 8.9 0.25 0.034 | (a) 2 (a) 8.7 (a) 21.8 (a) 0.264 (a) 12 (a) 8.3 (a) 0.238 (a) 0.043 | (a) 2.3 (a) 8.8 (a) 23.5 (a) (a) 11.1 (a) 8.9 (a) 0.26 (a) 0.044 | 45.8 (a) 1.95 (a) 9.2 (a) 21.5 0.35 (a) 11.3 (a) 9.2 (a) 0.26 (a) 0.12 | (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (a) (b) | 44.9 2.63 9.7 21.9 0.28 10.9 9.6 0.36 0.04 0.13 | (c ) 44.1 (c ) 2.27 (c ) 8.58 (c ) 22.15 (c ) 0.282 (c ) 11.75 (c ) 9.02 (c ) 0.242 (c ) 0.044 (c ) 0.069 | (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (a) (b) (b) | 43.98 2.29 8.46 22.73 0.31 11.64 9.19 0.29 0.05 0.08 0.05 | (e) (e) (e) (e) (e) (e) (e) | (e) 2.93 (e) 7.84 (e) 21.74 (e) 0.26 | (a) (a) (a) (a) | |||
| Sc ppm V | 38 218 | (a) 38 (a) 248 | (a) 41 (a) 225 | (a) 39.1 (a) | (a) | 39.6 | (a) 49.6 330 | (d) (d) | 40 | (a) | |||||
| Cr Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge ppb As | 4680 52 70 | (a) 6226 (a) 57 (a) 90 | (a) 4420 (a) 48 (a) 95 | (a) 4526 (a) 52.8 (a) | (a) (a) | 2737 | (c ) 6430 59.3 82 | (a) 8046 (a) 72.7 (a) 98.7 14.6 17.6 3.99 | (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) | (d) 5540 | (e) 6060 56 | (a) (a) | |||
| Se Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Ru Rh Pd ppb Ag ppb Cd ppb In ppb | 102 | 1.01 (a) 111 34 111 7.6 0.12 | (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) | ||||||||||||
| Sn ppb Sb ppb | 10 | (d) | |||||||||||||
| Te ppb Cs ppm Ba La Ce Pr | 55 5.2 | (a) 60 (a) 5.3 | (a) 54 (a) 5.4 | (a) (a) 4.92 13.2 | (a) (a) | 49 5.08 15.5 | 0.03 (a) 61.1 (a) 6.29 (a) 14.6 2.24 | (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) | 5.5 | (a) | |||||
| Nd Sm Eu | 3.4 0.76 | (a) 3.5 (a) 0.77 | (a) 3.4 (a) 0.88 | (a) 3.3 (a) 0.809 | (a) (a) | 11 3.48 0.85 | (a) 10.4 (a) 3.5 (a) 0.85 | (d) (d) (d) | 3.8 0.92 | (a) (a) | |||||
| Gd Tb Dy Ho Er | 0.6 4 | (a) 0.7 (a) 3.8 | (a) 0.69 (a) 4.4 | (a) 0.81 (a) | (a) | 0.76 | 4.63 (a) 0.8 4.91 0.96 2.71 | (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) | 0.7 | (a) | |||||
| Tm Yb Lu Hf Ta W ppb Re ppb Os ppb Ir ppb | 2 0.27 2.4 0.39 | (a) 2.2 (a) 0.34 (a) 2.4 (a) 0.47 | (a) 2.1 (a) 0.36 (a) 2.7 (a) 0.44 | (a) 2.04 (a) 0.324 (a) 2.11 (a) | (a) (a) (a) | 2.2 0.3 2.7 0.37 | 0.36 (a) 2.29 (a) 0.29 (a) 2.53 (a) 0.46 | (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) | 2.4 0.38 2.6 0.43 | (a) (a) (a) (a) | |||||
| Pt ppb Au ppb Th ppm | 0.629 | (a) | 0.36 | (a) 0.52 | (d) | ||||||||||
| U ppm | technique: (a) INAA, (b) fused-bead e-probe, (c ) broad-beam e-probe, (d) ICP-MS, (e) XRF | 0.14 | (d) |
Table 2. Chemical composition of 15623 and 15630.
| reference Dowty73 | 15623 | 15623 Ryder88 | 15623 Ma78 | 15630 Neal2001 | 15630 Ryder2001 | 15630 Ma78 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| weight SiO2 % TiO2 Al2O3 FeO MnO MgO CaO Na2O K2O P2O5 S % sum | 45.1 1.46 8.6 23.1 0.22 11.4 9.5 0.3 0.02 0.17 | (c ) | (c ) 45.4 (c ) 2.27 (c ) 8.2 (c ) 22.5 (c ) 0.37 (c ) 11.6 (c ) 9.6 (c ) 0.24 (c ) 0.13 | (b) (b) 2 (b) | (b) 8.6 (b) 23.2 (b) 0.27 (b) 13 (b) 9.2 (b) 0.24 (b) 0.043 | (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) | 44.1 2.26 8.84 22.15 0.28 11.5 9.2 0.23 0.042 0.067 | (b) (b) 2 (b) | (b) 8.9 (b) 20.8 (b) 0.27 (b) 11 (b) 8.8 (b) 0.25 (b) 0.044 | (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) | ||
| Sc ppm V Cr Co Ni Cu Zn Ga Ge ppb As | 4105 | 39 (c ) 5481 55 | (a) 38 217 (a) 5843 (a) 54 70 | (a) 38.4 (a) 208 (a) 5563 (a) 59.3 (a) 81.2 13.3 15 3.34 | (d) (d) (d) (d) | (d) 41.1 (d) 6010 (d) 57 (d) 100 | (a) | (a) 39 225 (a) 53 (a) 70 | (a) (a) (a) (a) (a) | |||
| Se Rb Sr Y Zr Nb Mo Ru Rh Pd ppb Ag ppb Cd ppb In ppb Sn ppb | 0.91 96.5 28 96.5 6.36 0.09 10 | (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) (d) | (d) 82 | (a) | ||||||||
| Sb ppb Te ppb Cs ppm Ba La Ce Pr | 5.23 14.3 | (a) | 80 (a) 5.4 | 0.02 (a) 55.2 (a) 5.69 15.2 2.29 | (d) (d) | (d) 53 (d) 5.21 (d) 15.2 | (a) | (a) 80 (a) 5.4 | (a) (a) | |||
| Nd Sm Eu Gd Tb Dy Ho Er | 3.5 0.826 | (a) 3.5 (a) 0.79 | 10.5 (a) 3.56 (a) 0.86 | (d) 11 (d) 3.66 (d) 0.84 | (a) | (a) 3.5 (a) 0.79 | (a) (a) | |||||
| 0.821 | (a) 0.7 4.3 | (a) 5 | 4.62 (a) 0.79 0.99 2.72 | (d) (d) (d) (d) | (d) 0.75 | (a) 0.7 4.3 | (a) (a) | |||||
| Tm Yb Lu Hf Ta W ppb Re ppb Os ppb Ir ppb Pt ppb | 2.22 0.322 2.27 | (a) 2.1 (a) 0.27 (a) 2.4 0.47 | 0.36 (a) 2.28 (a) 0.29 (a) 2.54 (a) 0.41 | (d) | (d) 2.29 (d) 0.31 (d) 2.65 (d) 0.36 | (a) 2.1 (a) 0.27 (a) 2.4 (a) 0.47 | (a) (a) (a) (a) | |||||
| Au ppb Th ppm U ppm technique: (a) INAA, (b) fused-bead e-probe, (c ) broad-beam e-probe, (d) ICP_MS. | 0.667 | (a) | 0.59 0.16 | (d) | (d) 0.46 | (a) | ||||||
Lunar Sample Compendium C Meyer 2010
References for 15614, 15616 15620, 15622, 15623 and 15630.
Section titled “References for 15614, 15616 15620, 15622, 15623 and 15630.”Butler P. (1971) Lunar Sample Catalog, Apollo 15. Curators’ Office, MSC 03209
Chappell B.W. and Green D.H. (1973) Chemical compositions and petrogenetic relationships in Apollo 15 mare basalts. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 18, 237-246.
Compston W., de Laeter J.R. and Vernon M.J. (1972) Strontium isotope geochemistry of Apollo 15 basalts. In The Apollo 15 Lunar Samples, 347-351. Lunar Science Institute, Houston.
Dowty E., Conrad G.H., Green J.A., Hlava P.F., Keil K., Moore R.B., Nehru C.E. and Prinz M. (1973a) Catalog of Apollo 15 rake samples from stations 2 (St. George), 7 (Spur Crater) and 9a (Hadley Rille). Inst. Meteoritics Spec. Publ. No 11, 51-73. Univ. New Mex. ABQ.
Dowty E., Prinz M. and Keil K. (1973b) Composition, mineralogy, and petrology of 28 mare basalts from Apollo 15 rake samples. Proc. 4th Lunar Sci. Conf. 423-444.
Fruchter J.S., Stoeser J.W., Lindstrom M.M. and Goles G.G. (1973) Apollo 15 clastic materials and their relationship to local geologic features. Proc. 4th Lunar Sci. Conf. 1227- 1237.
Gose W.A., Pearce G.W., Strangway D.W. and Carnes J. (1972) Magnetism of Apollo 15 samples. In The Apollo 15 Lunar Samples, 415-417.
Lofgren G.E., Donaldson C.H. and Usselman T.M. (1975) Geology, petrology and crystallization of Apollo 15 quartznormative basalts. Proc. 6th Lunar Sci. Conf. 79-99.
LSPET (1972a) The Apollo 15 lunar samples: A preliminary description. Science 175, 363-375.
LSPET (1972b) Preliminary examination of lunar samples. Apollo 15 Preliminary Science Report. NASA SP-289, 6- 1—6-28.
Ma M.-S., Murali A.V. and Schmitt R.A. (1976) Chemical constraints for mare basalt genesis. Proc. 7th Lunar Sci. Conf. 1673-1695.
Ma M.-S., Schmitt R.A., Warner R.D., Taylor G.J. and Keil K. (1978) Genesis of Apollo 15 olivine normative mare basalts: Trace element correlations. Proc. 9th Lunar Sci. Conf. 523-533.
Neal C.R. (2001) Interior of the moon: The presence of garnet in the primitive deep lunar mantle. J. Geophys. Res. 106, 27865-27885.
Nehru C.E., Prinz M., Dowty E. and Keil K. (1974) Spinelgroup minerals and ilmenite in Apollo 15 rake samples. Am. Mineral. 59, 1220-1235.
Pearce G.W., Gose W.A. and Strangway D.W. (1973) Magnetic studies on Apollo 15 and 16 lunar samples. Proc. 4th Lunar Sci. Conf. 3045-3076.
Ryder G. (1985) Catalog of Apollo 15 Rocks (three volumes). Curatoial Branch Pub. # 72, JSC#20787
Ryder G. and Schuraytz B.C. (2001) Chemical variations of the large Apollo 15 olivine-normative mare basalt rock samples. J. Geophys. Res. 106, E1, 1435-1451.
Ryder G. and Steele A. (1988) Chemical dispersion among Apollo 15 olivine-normative mare basalts. Proc. 18th Lunar Planet. Sci. 273-282. Lunar Planetary Institute, Houston.
Swann G.A., Hait M.H., Schaber G.C., Freeman V.L., Ulrich G.E., Wolfe E.W., Reed V.S. and Sutton R.L. (1971b) Preliminary description of Apollo 15 sample environments. U.S.G.S. Interagency report: 36. pp219 with maps
Swann G.A., Bailey N.G., Batson R.M., Freeman V.L., Hait M.H., Head J.W., Holt H.E., Howard K.A., Irwin J.B., Larson K.B., Muehlberger W.R., Reed V.S., Rennilson J.J., Schaber G.G., Scott D.R., Silver L.T., Sutton R.L., Ulrich G.E., Wilshire H.G. and Wolfe E.W. (1972) 5. Preliminary Geologic Investigation of the Apollo 15 landing site. In Apollo 15 Preliminary Science Rpt. NASA SP-289. pages 5-1-112.