Seismic Detection of the Lunar Core

Despite recent insight regarding the history and current state of the Moon from satellite sensing and analyses of limited Apollo-era seismic data, deficiencies remain in our understanding of the deep lunar interior. We reanalyzed Apollo lunar seismograms using array-processing methods to search for...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2011-01, Vol.331 (6015), p.309-312
Main Authors: Weber, Renee C, Lin, Pei-Ying, Garnero, Edward J, Williams, Quentin, Lognonné, Philippe
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alloying
Cosmic microwave background radiation
Cosmochemistry. Extraterrestrial geology
Earth
Earth Sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Earths Moon
Exact sciences and technology
Extraterrestrial geology
Ferrous alloys
Geophysics
Liquids
Lunar composition
Lunar core
Mantle
Moon
Moonquakes
Outer cores
Planetology
Sciences of the Universe
Searching
Seismic engineering
Seismic phenomena
Seismographs
Seismology
Space exploration
Wave reflection
Weight reduction
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Despite recent insight regarding the history and current state of the Moon from satellite sensing and analyses of limited Apollo-era seismic data, deficiencies remain in our understanding of the deep lunar interior. We reanalyzed Apollo lunar seismograms using array-processing methods to search for the presence of reflected and converted seismic energy from the core. Our results suggest the presence of a solid inner and fluid outer core, overlain by a partially molten boundary layer. The relative sizes of the inner and outer core suggest that the core is approximately 60% liquid by volume. Based on phase diagrams of iron alloys and the presence of partial melt, the core probably contains less than 6 weight % of lighter alloying components, which is consistent with a volatile-depleted interior.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1199375