Generation of native Fe in lunar soil

Abstract

A study of lunar samples indicatesa that the lunar soil contains up to a magnitude more native Fe than do the rocks from which it was derived. This is due to the abundant Fe in the agglutinates of the soil. The Fe in these agglutinates formed by the reduction of Fe(2+) in the micrometeorite impact-produced melt due to the presence of solar-wind implanted H and C. The amount of agglutinates is a function of the maturity of a given soil. The FMR signature, Is/FeO, measures the amount of agglutinates, which increase as maturity increases. Thus, the Is/FeO signature is indicative of the relative amounts of solar-wind implanted elements, notably He and H, in the lunar soil.