Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Kerridge, J. F.

Publications and source records attributed to Kerridge, J. F..

50 records · Page 3

Formation of iron sulphide in solar nebula

Noting that the iron sulfide in the Orgueil carbonaceous meteorite is an Fe-deficient monosulfide (pyrrhotite), it is suggested that such mineral chemistry is inconsistent with equilibrium condensation of the solar nebula and that the course of condensation may have been modified by kinetic effects. The effect of Ni on the reaction between Fe and S to produce FeS is examined, and possible reasons are considered for the fact that the cited meteorite differs in both crystal structure and Ni content from the predictions of equilibrium condensation. It is proposed that sulfide formation in the solar nebula may have been inhibited by sluggish diffusion, so that sulfur began to react with previously condensed troilite to form pyrrhotite. On this basis, observations of the Orgueil sulfides are shown to suggest that the course of solar-system condensation was modified by kinetic effects below about 700 K and that equilibrium may not have been achieved.

Kerridge, J. F.↗

Light element geochemistry of the Apollo 15 site

Abundances of C, N, S, and He and contents of CH4 and metallic Fe at Hadley-Apennine are typical of a mixed mare and highland environment. Isotopic compositions of C, N, and S similarly conform in most cases to patterns observed elsewhere on the moon. Systematic relationships between S abundance and total Fe content are apparent for crystalline rocks from most landing sites but their full significance is not yet understood.

Kaplan, I. R.↗

Solar nitrogen - Evidence for a secular increase in the ratio of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14

Solar wind nitrogen, implanted in lunar soil samples, exhibits isotopic variations that are related to the time, although not to the duration, of implantation, with earlier samples characterized by lower ratios of nitrogen-15 to nitrogen-14. An increase in the solar nitrogen-15 content during the lifetime of the lunar regolith is probably caused by spallation of oxygen-16 in the surface regions of the sun.-

Kerridge, J. F.↗

Light element geochemistry of the Apollo 16 site

The abundance and isotopic composition of carbon, sulfur, and nitrogen, the abundance of helium and hydrogen, and the content of metallic iron are reported for lunar surface samples from the Apollo 16 landing site at Cayley-Descartes. The light elements show marked interstation variability at the site. The abundances in soils of C, N, He, and H are apparently controlled mainly by exposure to the solar wind, through implantation or stripping processes. Carbon abundances (but not observed isotopic distributions) are compatible with a model in which equilibrium is established after 10,000-100,000 yr between solar wind input and loss by proton stripping. Sulfur abundances in soils are apparently controlled by abundances in local country rocks, but the lunar S cycle is quite complex. A metallic iron component may have originated by solar wind reduction of lunar Fe(2+).

Kerridge, J. F.↗

Evidence for meteoritic sulfur in the lunar regolith

Abundance and isotopic data are presented for a suite of 19 soils from the Apollo 16 mission. It is concluded that the S systematics of the lunar regolith support a model in which S from a number of indigenous rock types is mixed with a time-dependent, extralunar component of probably meteoritic origin. This mixture is processed on the lunar surface by a time-dependent mechanism which removes S-32 enriched S from the moon, enriching the residue in S-34. The loss of S by this mechanism approximately equals the meteoritic input, producing the apparent coincidence between rock abundances and abundances in soils which has led to adoption of simplified mixing models. In reality, at least for the Apollo 16 site, addition of meteoritic S slightly outweighs loss from the moon, resulting in a positive trend.

Kerridge, J. F.↗

Accumulation and isotopic evolution of carbon on the lunar surface

The processes of hydrogen stripping, agglutination and impact comminution, acting upon a regolith containing both indigenous and solar wind-implanted carbon, provide a quantitative explanation for the relationship between carbon abundance and isotopic composition observed for Apollo 16 soils.

Kerridge, J. F.↗

Light element geochemistry of the Apollo 17 site

Abundances of C, N, S, He, H, and metallic iron at Taurus-Littrow are typical of a mixed mare and highland environment. Isotopic compositions of C, N, and S also generally conform to patterns observed elsewhere on the moon. Further evidence is presented for a complex lunar S cycle.

Petrowski, C.↗

Accretionary processes in the early solar system - An experimental approach.

Results are given of an experiment to determine the range of silicate particle velocities over which accretion occurs. It was shown that micrometer-size silicate flakes do not accrete during impacts in the velocity range of 1.5 to 9.5 km/sec. Silicate accretion took place only between particles whose orbits were similar. Over at least part of the velocity range in which silicate accretion was efficient, metal particles would have rebounded without accreting. This suggests that if both metal and silicate were present during accretion, fractionation of one with respect to the other would have occurred.

Kerridge, J. F.↗

An experimental approach to circumsolar accretion.

Experimental investigation of planetesimal accretion from grains in intersecting orbits. The study is aimed particularly at the velocity impact behavior of silicates, which comprise the major fraction of condensable material in the solar system.

Kerridge, J. F.↗