Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “basalts”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Selective recovery of native copper from basalt tailings using alkaline glycinate solution

Mafic and ultramafic rocks present an intriguing pathway for CO 2 capture through strategic enhancements to the natural silicate weathering cycle. Simultaneously, these rock types are often hosts to appreciable amounts of metals critical to U.S. energy independence, particularly in the context of alkaline mine tailings from historical metal mining. The research and scientific prerogative, then, is to identify promising mafic and ultramafic feedstocks and conduct exploratory studies to effectively recover these critical minerals while preserving the potential for mineral carbonation. The Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan hosts the largest native Cu reservoir within basalt in the world and experienced a rich history of Cu production spanning from pre-historic times to the mid-1900s. Today, much of the Cu mining legacy remains as mine waste tailings. In this study, we examined the Cu extractability from Keweenaw Basalt tailings using a sodium glycinate solution, in comparison with acid and sodium hydroxide leaching. Experimental results showed an 85 % Cu extraction rate using sodium glycinate as the extraction solution with negligible release of other cations from the basalt. The kinetic and extraction mechanisms of Cu selective recovery using glycinate solution were discussed using time-resolved experimental data and kinetic geochemical modeling. Theoretical estimation of carbon mineralization potential of all the existing basalt waste tailings (∼500 million tons) can reach 85.5 MMT CO 2 . A total of 0.786 MMT Cu can be recovered with sodium glycinate, with a value of 7.7 billion USD. In conclusion, this novel application of alkaline glycinate for selective Cu recovery from basalt mine tailings demonstrates the viability of selective metal recovery using a non-hazardous chemical while preserving CO 2 capture potential and presents a potential pathway toward reducing energy-related emissions and providing an unconventional domestic source of critical minerals.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

3D Quantification of Pore Networks and Anthropogenic Carbon Mineralization in Stacked Basalt Reservoirs

Basalt formations are promising candidates for the geologic storage of anthropogenic CO 2 due to their storage capacity, porosity, permeability, and reactive geochemical trapping ability. The Wallula Basalt Carbon Storage Pilot Project demonstrated that supercritical CO 2 injected into >800 m deep Columbia River Basalt Group stacked reservoir flow tops mineralizes to ankerite-siderite-aragonite on month-year timescales, with 60% of the 977 metric tonnes of CO 2 converted within two years. The potential impacts of mineral precipitation and consequent changes on rock porosity, pore structure, pore size, and pore size distributions have likely been underestimated hitherto. Herein, we address these knowledge gaps using X-ray Micro Computed Tomography (XMT) to evaluate the pore network architecture of sidewall cores recovered two years after CO 2 injection. In the present study, we performed a detailed quantitative analysis of the CO 2 -reacted basalt cores by XMT imaging. Reconstructed 3D images were analyzed to study the distribution and volumetric details of porosity and carbonate nodules in the cores along with the various other phases, providing insight into paragenesis and carbonate growth mechanisms, including mineralogic/chemical zonation. Finally, these findings are being used to parametrize multiphase reactive transport models to predict the fate and transport of subsurface CO 2 , enabling scale-up to commercial-scale geologic carbon storage in basalts and other reactive mafic-ultramafic formations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS2015

Assessing Eruption Column Height in Ancient Flood Basalt Eruptions

A buoyant plume model is used to explore the ability of flood basalt eruptions to inject climate-relevant gases into the stratosphere. An example from the 1986 Izu-Oshima basaltic fissure eruption validates the model's ability to reproduce the observed maximum plume heights of 12-16 km above sea level, sustained above fire-fountains. The model predicts maximum plume heights of 13-17 km for source widths of between 4-16 m when 32% (by mass) of the erupted magma is fragmented and involved in the buoyant plume (effective volatile content of 6 wt%). Assuming that the Miocene-age Roza eruption (part of the Columbia River Basalt Group) sustained fire-fountains of similar height to Izu-Oshima (1.6 km above the vent), we show that the Roza eruption could have sustained buoyant ash and gas plumes that extended into the stratosphere at approximately 45 deg N. Assuming 5 km long active fissure segments and 9000 Mt of SO2 released during explosive phases over a 10-15 year duration, the approximately 180 km of known Roza fissure length could have supported approximately 36 explosive events/phases, each with a duration of 3-4 days. Each 5 km fissure segment could have emitted 62 Mt of SO2 per day into the stratosphere while actively fountaining, the equivalent of about three 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruptions per day. Each fissure segment could have had one to several vents, which subsequently produced lava without significant fountaining for a longer period within the decades-long eruption. Sensitivity of plume rise height to ancient atmospheric conditions is explored. Although eruptions in the Deccan Traps (approximately 66 Ma) may have generated buoyant plumes that rose to altitudes in excess of 18 km, they may not have reached the stratosphere because the tropopause was substantially higher in the late Cretaceous. Our results indicate that some flood basalt eruptions, such as Roza, were capable of repeatedly injecting large masses of SO2 into the stratosphere. Thus sustained flood basalt eruptions could have influenced climate on time scales of decades to centuries but the location (i.e., latitude) of the province and relevant paleoclimate is important and must be considered.

climate↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Revisiting the Origin of Macromolecular Carbon (MMC) in Lunar Basalts 15556 & 10044

Volatile elements influence the geo-chemical evolution of planetary bodies and they are in magmas at every stage, from melting within planetary interiors to eruption at the surface. Analyses of lunar mare basalts supported the hypothesis that lunar mag-mas were depleted in volatiles (H-C-F-Cl-S), relative to their terrestrial analogs [1]. Nevertheless, several early studies of samples returned during the Apollo program proposed that the mare basalt eruptions, including the “fire fountain” eruptions, were propelled by the oxidation of magmatic graphite to CO (and/or CO2) gas [2, 3]. Seminal studies during the 1970’s measured the bulk concentration and isotopic compositions of C from Apollo 11 samples, and identified several carbonaceous compounds, including: (a) gaseous (CO, CO2, and traces of CH4), (b) metallic carbide, and (c) potentially elemental carbon [4-6]. These studies reported a relatively broad range of C contents (~100-400 μg/g) and isotopic values (δC13 = -30 to +20), and suggested that these heterogeneities can be explained by contribution from multiple factors, including: (a) indigenous carbon, (b) solar wind implantation, (c) bombardment and/or meteorite impact, and (d) terrestrial contamination [5,6]. However, unequivocal observations of magmatic graphite in lunar basalts have never been made. Macromolecular carbon (MMC)—graphitic carbon varying from nearly amorphous to highly crystalline varieties—was identified as inclusions hosted by igneous pyroxenes from Martian meteorites and were attributed to being indigenous to Mars [8]. The authors carefully considered the textural and mineralogical relationship of the MMC phases, and concluded that the subset of MMC located within and/or adjacent to cracks, or at a disrupted surface (e.g., cut) were most consistent with terrestrial contamination. The near absence of con-firmed instances of lunar magmatic MMC within the literature [9], combined with the wide range of isotopic values and bulk carbon contents measured in lunar bas-alts begs the question as to whether previously measured carbon is of an indigenous origin, or the result of terrestrial contamination. Using Raman spectroscopy, we have observed MMC in lunar basalts subjected to different forms of anthropogenic modification related to sample preparation including polished sections, sawn surfaces, and fractured surfaces adjacent to sawn sur-faces. We have observed MMC of unknown origin in all of these settings. Here we report the preliminary textural and spectroscopic characteristics of MMC hosted within the groundmass of Apollo 15 (15556) and Apollo 11 basalts (10044) as part of our ongoing investigation of the origin of these carbonaceous materials.

lunar↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fungal hyphae develop where titanomagnetite inclusions reach the surface of basalt grains

Nutrient foraging by fungi weathers rocks by mechanical and biochemical processes. Distinguishing fungal-driven transformation from abiotic mechanisms in soil remains a challenge due to complexities within natural field environments. We examined the role of fungal hyphae in the incipient weathering of granulated basalt from a three-year field experiment in a mixed hardwood-pine forest (S. Carolina) to identify alteration at the nanometer to micron scales based on microscopy-tomography analyses. Investigations of fungal-grain contacts revealed (i) a hypha-biofilm-basaltic glass interface coinciding with titanomagnetite inclusions exposed on the grain surface and embedded in the glass matrix and (ii) native dendritic and subhedral titanomagnetite inclusions in the upper 1–2 µm of the grain surface that spanned the length of the fungal-grain interface. We provide evidence of submicron basaltic glass dissolution occurring at a fungal-grain contact in a soil field setting. An example of how fungal-mediated weathering can be distinguished from abiotic mechanisms in the field was demonstrated by observing hyphal selective occupation and hydrolysis of glass-titanomagnetite surfaces. We hypothesize that the fungi were drawn to basaltic glass-titanomagnetite boundaries given that titanomagnetite exposed on or very near grain surfaces represents a source of iron to microbes. Furthermore, glass is energetically favorable to weathering in the presence of titanomagnetite. Our observations demonstrate that fungi interact with and transform basaltic substrates over a three-year time scale in field environments, which is central to understanding the rates and pathways of biogeochemical reactions related to nuclear waste disposal, geologic carbon storage, nutrient cycling, cultural artifact preservation, and soil-formation processes.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1974

Mare basalts from the Taurus-Littrow region of the moon

Two distinct chemical basalt types have been sampled at the Apollo 17 landing site. Very high-titanium basalts (about 13 wt % TiO2) are the dominant type and display a textural range from olivine-porphyritic, ilmenite vitrophyres to plagioclase-poikilitic, ilmenite microgabbros. Most of these rocks could have come from one flow. These basalts appear to represent partial melts from feldspar-ilmenite cumulates with an Ar-40/Ar-39 age of about 3.7 G.y., which have experienced little, if any, near-surface fractionation of olivine and Fe-Mg-Ti oxides. A second type of basalt virtually identical to the Apollo 11 (low-K) basalts is much less common.

Papike, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Origin of titaniferous lunar basalts

Delineation of low pressure phase equilibria in the composition space relevant to titaniferous lunar basalts demonstrates a significant degree of control by those equilibria on the compositions of the basalts. The existence of two distinct chemical groups of basalts (high and low K) which cannot be related one to the other by fractional crystallization at any pressure, suggests that melting is responsible for the two groups. Consideration of the pressure shift required to produce the differences between groups constrains magma segregation to have occurred in the outer 150 km of the moon. It is difficult to relate low-Ti and high-Ti basalts to the same source region. The preferred source region of high-Ti basalts, based on phase equilibrium considerations, is a late ilmenite-rich cumulate produced from the residual liquid of the primordial differentiation of the outer portions of the moon. This ilmenite-rich layer is sandwiched between the lunar feldspathic crust and a complementary mafic cumulate.

Walker, D.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Characterization of lunar mare basalt types. I - A remote sensing study using reflection spectroscopy of surface soils

Telescopic reflection spectra of mature mare surfaces are used to identify and characterize major basalt types on the frontside of the moon. The spectra are classified according to (1) continuum slope and (2) near-infrared features. This study indicates that there are major lunar basalt types that are unlikely to have been sampled during the landing missions. Regions of basalt exist in the western maria with a TiO2 content comparable to that of Apollo 11 but with infrared characteristics that indicate a distinctly different composition. Samples from two landing sites, Apollo 12 and Luna 16, may contain fragments of a nearby basalt unit compositionally different from the dominant basalt type of the landing area.

Pieters, C.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Shock metamorphism of lunar and terrestrial basalts

Lonar Crater (India) basalt and lunar basalt 75035 were shock loaded under controlled laboratory conditions up to 1000 kbar, generally in a CO/CO2 (1:1) environment evacuated to 10 to the minus seventh power torr. The Kieffer et al. (1976) classification scheme of progressive shock metamorphism is found to apply to lunar basalts. The major shock features of the five classes that span the range 0 to 1000 kbar are described. Only three out of 152 basalt specimens show shock effects in their natural state as severe as Class 2 features. The scarcity of shocked basalt hand samples in contrast to the abundance of shock-produced agglutinates and homogeneous glass spheres in the lunar regolith indicates the dominant role of micrometeorite impact in the evolution of the lunar regolith. The overall glass content in asteroidal and Mercurian regoliths is considered.

Schaal, R. B.↗
NASA NTRS1975

On the origin of high-Ti mare basalts

Analyses were conducted of sixteen Apollo 17 mare basalts for alkali, alkaline-earth, and rare-earth elements, Co, and Sc. The obtained data were utilized in a study concerning the nature of the igneous processes responsible for the chemical variations among the high-Ti, low-K basalts. Estimates were obtained regarding the abundances of the large-ion, lithophile elements in the source regions for the basalts. It is shown that the source regions could plausibly have been produced by processes believed to have occurred during the early history of the moon. Attention is given to chemical variations among the Apollo 17 mare basalts, near-surface (low-pressure) crystal fractionation, partial melting, limits on the extent of partial melting, and a summary of possible events leading to formation of high-Ti mare basalts.

Shih, C.-Y.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Chemistry and petrology of Luna 24 lithic fragments and less than 250-micron soils - Constraints on the origin of VLT mare basalts

Results are reported on a combined INAA-petrologic study of 17 small (0.2-1.5 mg) Luna 24 lithic and mineral fragments and INAA study of 5 bulk soils and mineral separates from gabbro 24170. Lithic and mineral fragments are classified into VLT mare basalts (ferrobasalt and metabasalts), low-Ti, variolitic mare basalt, gabbros, melt rock and soil breccia. Data indicate 5 possible magma types, represented by: (1) VLT ferrobasalt and gabbro fragments, with low-TiO2 (about 1%), slightly bow-shaped REE pattern, and low REE concentrations (5-10X chondritic); (2) a ferrobasalt (Laul et al., 1978) and metabasalt fragments with major and trace element contents similar to (1), but positive Eu anomalies; (3) one gabbro fragment with distinctive pyroxene compositional trend (increasing Ti with nearly constant Fe/Fe + Mg) and highest REE contents of any Luna 24 mare basaltic sample, (4) a gabbro fragment with considerably less V and Cr2O3 than ferrobasalt and metabasalt fragments; and (5) variolitic basalt fragment with higher Ti2(2.3%) than other Luna 24 basalts and pyroxene that has increasing then decreasing Ti with increasing Fe/Fe + Mg. Trace element data place constraints on the nature of the source region and possible parent magmas for the Luna 24 VLT ferrobasalt.

Ma, M.-S.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Mare basalt types on the front side of the moon - A summary of spectral reflectance data

A unit map of nearside basalt types has been prepared from all telescopic spectral reflectance data currently available for lunar soils. Four parameters were chosen (UV/VIS ratio, albedo, 1 micron band strength, 2 micron band strength) to distinguish and map each of 13 mare basalt types and three additional volcanic groups. Multispectral imagery and albedo maps were used to define unit boundaries while spectra were used to examine the 1 and 2 micron bands and calibrate and quantify the multispectral images. Although the volume of each basalt type is not known, it is clear from the unit map that only 1/3 to 1/2 of the surface basalt types are likely to be represented in the returned lunar samples. For mature lunar soils a single parameter alone does not provide chemical information, but when the four are used together, TiO2 and in some cases FeO can be estimated. Further study of the mineralogy of unsampled lunar basalts requires precise spectra to 2.5 microns with higher spectra and spatial resolution.

Pieters, C. M.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Residual glasses and melt inclusions in basalts from DSDP Legs 45 and 46 - Evidence for magma mixing

Microprobe analyses of natural glasses in basalts recovered by Legs 45 and 46 of the Deep Sea Drilling Project are reported and interpreted in the context of other geochemical, petrographic and experimental data on the same rocks (Rhodes et al., 1978). Residual glass compositions in the moderately evolved aphyritic and abundantly phyric basalts within each site indicate that none of the units is related to any other or to a common parent by simple fractional crystallization. The compositional trends, extensive disequilibrium textures in the plagioclase phenocrysts and the presence in evolved lavas of refractory plagioclase and olivine phenocrysts bearing primitive melt inclusions provide evidence that magma mixing had a major role in the genesis of the Leg 45 and 46 basalts. The magma parental to these basalts was most likely characterized by high Mg/(Mg + Fe/+2/), CaO/Al2O3, CaO/Na2O and low lithophile concentrations. A mixing model involving incremental enrichment of magmaphile elements by repeated episodes of mixing of relatively primitive and moderately evolved magmas, followed by a small amount of fractionation is consistent with the characteristics of the basalts studied.

Dungan, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

Apollo 12 feldspathic basalts 12031, 12038 and 12072 - Petrology, comparison and interpretations

The paper presents the petrology of Apollo 12 feldspathic basalts. Modal and chemical data indicate that basalts 12072, 12038, and 12031 cannot be related to the other Apollo rock types; 12072 contains phenocrysts of olivine and pigeonite, 12038 is a multiply saturated equigranular basalt, and 12031 is a coarse-grained rock with granular to graphic intergrowths of pyroxene and plagioclase. The bulk compositions indicate that these basalts could not have been derived from the Apollo 12 olivine or ilmenite basalts by crystal-liquid fractionation, and their petrologic similarities suggest that they were produced in the same or similar source regions.

Beaty, D. W.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Stratigraphy of Oceanus Procellarum basalts - Sources and styles of emplacement

The basaltic fill of Oceanus Procellarum has been formally subdivided into four lithostratigraphic formations: The Repsold Formation, the Telemann Formation, the Hermann Formation, and the Sharp Formation. The Repsold Formation is composed of high-Ti basalts and pyroclastic deposits with an estimated age of 3.75 + or - 0.05 b.y. and an estimated volume of about 2.1 x 10 to the 5th cu km. This is overlain by the Telemann Formation composed of very low-Ti basalts and pyroclastic deposits with an estimated age of 3.6 + or - 0.2 b.y. and a volume of 4.2 x 10 to the 5th cu km. The Hermann Formation, composed of intermediate basalts with an estimated age of 3.3 + or - 0.3 b.y., represents the next youngest unit with an estimated volume of 2.2 x 10 to the 5th cu km. The youngest materials in Procellarum are the medium-to-high-Ti basalts comprising the Sharp Formation with an estimated age of 2.7 + or - 0.7 b.y. and a volume of 1.8 x 10 to the 4th cu km.

Whitford-Stark, J. L.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Moon and earth - Compositional differences inferred from siderophiles, volatiles, and alkalis in basalts

A comparison of RNAA analyses of 18 trace elements in 25 low-Ti lunar and 10 terrestrial oceanic basalts indicated that the volatiles such as Ag, Bi, and Br are depleted in lunar basalts by nearly constant factors of 0.026 relative to terrestrial basalts. This constancy is not consistent with models that derive the moon's volatiles from partial recondensation of the earth's mantle or from partial degassing of a captured body; it is consistent with models which derive planetary volatiles from a thin veneer of C-chondrite material. Chalcogens (Se and Te) have almost constant and identical abundances in lunar and terrestrial basalts; siderophiles show abundant Ni in lunar basalts, while Ir, Re, Ge, and Au are depleted.

Wolf, R.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Apollo 11 breccias and soils - Aluminous mare basalts or multi-component mixtures

This paper examines the chemistry of Apollo 11 welded breccias and soils and attempts to ascertain whether the compositional variations in these samples reflect the comminuted remains of an unsampled high alumina basalt, or whether they result from mixing of mare basalts with more aluminous highland components. The data show strong linear compositional trends that are not consistent with magmatic processes. Instead, they indicate two-component mixing involving high-K basalt and an already well-mixed soil component. This is consistent with impact mixing of soil with a high-K mare basalt unit that is stratigraphically above other mare basalt units.

Rhodes, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

A preliminary analysis of lunar extra-mare basalts - Distribution, compositions, ages, volumes, and eruption styles

Extra-mare basalts occupy 8.5% of the lunar basalt area and comprise 1% of the total mare basalt volume. They are preferentially located where the crust is thin and topographically low. In terms of age, eruption style, and composition they are as variable as the mare basalts. In some instances extrusion in extra-mare craters was preceded by floor-fracturing whereas in other cases it apparently was not. The volume of lava erupted may have been controlled more by the volume of magma produced than by hydrostatic effects. A minimum of nearly 1300 separate basalt eruptions is indicated; the true value could be nearer 30,000 separate eruptions.

Whitford-Stark, J. L.↗