Rights statement: An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2020 American Geophysical Union. Qiao, L., Head, J. W., Ling, Z., & Wilson, L. (2020). Lunar irregular mare patches: Classification, characteristics, geologic settings, updated catalog, origin, and outstanding questions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125, e2019JE006362. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JE006362 To view the published open abstract, go to http://dx.doi.org and enter the DOI.
Accepted author manuscript, 3.66 MB, PDF document
Available under license: CC BY-NC: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Final published version
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Lunar Irregular Mare Patches
T2 - Classification, Characteristics, Geologic Settings, Updated Catalog, Origin, and Outstanding Questions
AU - Qiao, L.
AU - Head, J.W.
AU - Ling, Z.
AU - Wilson, L.
N1 - An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2020 American Geophysical Union. Qiao, L., Head, J. W., Ling, Z., & Wilson, L. (2020). Lunar irregular mare patches: Classification, characteristics, geologic settings, updated catalog, origin, and outstanding questions. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, 125, e2019JE006362. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JE006362 To view the published open abstract, go to http://dx.doi.org and enter the DOI.
PY - 2020/7/1
Y1 - 2020/7/1
N2 - One of the most mysterious lunar features discovered during the Apollo era was Ina, a ~2 × 3-km depression composed of bleb-like mounds surrounded by hummocky and blocky terrains. Subsequent studies identified dozens of similar features in lunar maria, describing them as Irregular Mare Patches (IMPs). Due to the unusual and complex characteristics of IMPs, their specific formation mechanism is debated. To improve our understanding of the nature and origin of IMPs, we undertook an updated search and geological characterization of all IMPs and established a classification approach encompassing the full spectrum of IMPs. We present an updated catalog of 91 IMPs and survey the detailed characteristics of each IMP. We find that the majority of IMPs occur in maria emplaced over three billion years ago, contemporaneous with the peak period of global lunar volcanism. We utilized geologic context information and characteristics to establish two classification schemes for lunar IMPs: (1) geologic context: IMPs are categorized into (a) small shield volcano summit pit floor and flank, (b) linear/sinuous rille interior and adjacent exterior, and (c) typical maria; (2) characteristics: IMPs are classified into (a) “mound + floor” and (b) “pit only” types. We showed the range of characteristics of lunar IMPs was consistent with the waning-stage magmatic foam formation and extrusion scenario in different environments. Our updated catalog and classification raise several outstanding questions concerning the nature and origin of lunar IMPs. Assessing these questions will improve our knowledge of lunar thermal and geologic evolution. ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
AB - One of the most mysterious lunar features discovered during the Apollo era was Ina, a ~2 × 3-km depression composed of bleb-like mounds surrounded by hummocky and blocky terrains. Subsequent studies identified dozens of similar features in lunar maria, describing them as Irregular Mare Patches (IMPs). Due to the unusual and complex characteristics of IMPs, their specific formation mechanism is debated. To improve our understanding of the nature and origin of IMPs, we undertook an updated search and geological characterization of all IMPs and established a classification approach encompassing the full spectrum of IMPs. We present an updated catalog of 91 IMPs and survey the detailed characteristics of each IMP. We find that the majority of IMPs occur in maria emplaced over three billion years ago, contemporaneous with the peak period of global lunar volcanism. We utilized geologic context information and characteristics to establish two classification schemes for lunar IMPs: (1) geologic context: IMPs are categorized into (a) small shield volcano summit pit floor and flank, (b) linear/sinuous rille interior and adjacent exterior, and (c) typical maria; (2) characteristics: IMPs are classified into (a) “mound + floor” and (b) “pit only” types. We showed the range of characteristics of lunar IMPs was consistent with the waning-stage magmatic foam formation and extrusion scenario in different environments. Our updated catalog and classification raise several outstanding questions concerning the nature and origin of lunar IMPs. Assessing these questions will improve our knowledge of lunar thermal and geologic evolution. ©2020. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.
KW - irregular mare patches
KW - lunar geomorphology
KW - lunar/Moon
KW - mare volcanism
KW - formation mechanism
KW - Moon
KW - thermal evolution
KW - volcanism
U2 - 10.1029/2019JE006362
DO - 10.1029/2019JE006362
M3 - Journal article
VL - 125
JO - Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
JF - Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
SN - 2169-9100
IS - 7
M1 - e2019JE006362
ER -