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Warren, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Warren, N..

12 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1977

Structure in the upper lunar crust

Warren and Trice (1975) have shown that bulk elastic properties of lunar samples can be systematically correlated with petrographic classification and descriptions of lithification and disaggregation. The present paper reviews the underlying systematics and uses them to estimate the average degree of lithification and structure densities compatible with the observed seismic profiles in the top 30 km of the moon. The estimates are discussed in terms of some of their implications for the thermal gradient and for annealing and fracture histories. The published lunar seismic profiles are consistent with a sharp gradient in structure density at a depth of about 1 km, from highly fractured lithic units above 1 km to only moderately fractured competent rock below.

Warren, N.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Rock elastic properties and near-surface structure at Taurus-Littrow

Linear strain measurements are presented for two lunar basalts, 14310,82 and 71055,15 and one breccia, 15498,23 to 5 kb hydrostatic pressure. Compressional and shear acoustic velocities to 5 kb are also presented for the basalts, 14310,82 and 71055,15. These elastic properties, along with geological, seismological and rock mechanics considerations are consistent with a model of the structure of the Taurus-Littrow valley as follows, a thin surface regolith overlying a fractured mixture of basalt flows and ejecta material which in turn overlies a coherent breccia of highland ejecta debris.

Trice, R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Ultrasonic attenuation - Q measurements on 70215,29

Ultrasonic attenuation measurements have been made on an aluminum alloy, obsidian, and rock samples including lunar sample 70215,29. The measurement technique is based on a combination of the pulse transmission method and the forced resonance method. The technique is designed to explore the problem of defining experimentally, the Q of a medium or sample in which mode conversion may occur. If modes are coupled, the measured attenuation is strongly dependent on individual modes of vibration, and a range of Q-factors may be measured over various resonances or from various portions of a transient signal. On 70215,29, measurements were made over a period of a month while the sample outgassed in hard varuum. During this period, the highest measured Q of this sample increased from a few hundred into the range of 1000-1300.

Warren, N.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Elastic properties of granular materials under uniaxial compaction cycles

Data on andesitic and basaltic sands are presented showing compressional sound velocity, density, and creep as functions of uniaxial loading through several compaction cycles. Maximum pressures over which acoustic measurements were made were in the range from 600 to 700 bars. The dynamic elastic modulus varies with pressure in a manner analogous to that of a static elastic modulus defined by small pressure perturbations on a typical compaction cycle. After several compaction cycles, two compressional elastic moduli apparently exist at low pressure (thus two modes of compressional wave propagation through the samples are indicated). The elastic moduli observations are briefly discussed in terms of a general expression for compressibility.

Warren, N.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Theoretical calculation of the compressibility of porous media.

The normalized bulk compressibility of a porous medium is expressed directly in terms of pore strains. The derived expression holds over all porosity and allows for direct substitution of both different pore geometries and pore-pore interactions into the strain term. Pores are assumed to be open. The parent (matrix forming) material is assumed to be homogeneous and isotropic. Pore fluids may be admitted. A simple pore-pore interaction term is introduced. Upper-bound stiffness equations (i.e., equations ignoring pore-pore interactions) are derived for media with oblate spheroidal pores. Effective stress is introduced into the general equation for the normalized bulk compressibility.

Warren, N.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Rock physics properties of some lunar samples

Linear strains and acoustic velocity data for lunar samples under uniaxial and hydrostatic loading are presented. Elastic properties are presented for 60335,20; 15555,68; 15498,23; and 12063,97. Internal friction data are summarized for a number of artificial lunar glasses with compositions similar to lunar rocks 12009, 12012, 14305, 15021, and 15555. Zero porosity model-rock moduli are calculated for a number of lunar model-rocks, with mineralogies similar to Apollo 12, 14, and 16 rocks. Model-rock calculations indicate that rock types in the troctolitic composition range may provide reasonable modeling of the lunar upper mantle. Model calculations involving pore crack effects are compatible with a strong dependence of rock moduli on pore strain, and therefore of rock velocities on nonhydrostatic loading. The high velocity of rocks under uniaxial loading appears to be compatible with, and may aid in, interpretation of near-surface velocity profiles observed in the active seismic experiment.

Warren, N.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Q and structure.

Different values of seismic Q may be obtained from measurements of different portions of a seismic record, indicating a separation of the effects on energy propagation of scattering and real loss parameters. In cases in which these parameters can be separated, they can then be used in seismic modeling. As an example, a model is presented in which scattering occurs to a depth of about 10 km below the volcanic ridge in the Tonga-Fiji region. The case of the lunar maria is discussed in terms of the relation of measured seismic Q, scattering parameters, and direct ray propagation parameters. The results indicate that a fairly simple jointed bedrock model is compatible with observed lunar seismic data.

Warren, N.↗