Abstract Bulk rock geochemistry and sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe zircon geochronology of igneous metaigneous rocks the Évora gneiss dome, located to north reworked Rheic Ocean suture zone in southwest Iberian Variscan belt, reveal a succession magmatic melting events lasting ~30 m.y. between ca. 341–314 Ma. The study detailed field relationships orthomigmatites (i.e., migmatites fro...

We investigated the interactions between CO2-rich fluids and Mg-silicate minerals using experiments to provide information on reaction rates and to identify potential catalysts for the reactions, and studies of natural analogues to assess the conditions that lead to massive carbonation of ultramafic rocks and thus the potential for field-scale implementation. Key findings from our exploratory w...

The objective of this study is to explore the regional geology of the northwest Imbrium region in which the Chang’E-3 (CE-3) landing site is located. CE-3 successfully landed on December 14, 2013 on the unsampled Eratosthenian basalts whose study is important for understanding the evolution of the Moon. New geologic and structural maps of the research area were produced through the integrated a...

Compositionally and petrologically, Dhofar 961, a glassy-matrix regolith breccia, is unique among lunar meteorites (Fig. 1) and distinct from any Apollo sample. In a recent paper [1], we make two observations. (1) If the ~65 known lunar meteorites represent even as few as only 30 source craters on the Moon, then there is still an 80% chance that at least one is from the South PoleAitken basin. ...

Liquid phase diffusion experiments were carried out to determine whether diffusive isotopic fractionation of a major chemical element (Ca) varies with chemical composition in high-temperature molten silicates. The objective was to determine how differences in silicate liquid structure, such as the ratio of bridging to non-bridging oxygen atoms, as well as bulk transport properties such as visco...

[1] The igneous evolution of Mars is well represented in stratigraphic settings that transition across major time stratigraphic boundaries. Here we analyze in detail the morphology and composition, determined through visible–near-infrared spectroscopy, of igneous volcanic terrains in Ares Vallis, Mars. Upland plateau units with crater-filling volcanic plains are of Noachian age; smooth units to...

Carbonatites are mantle-derived, intraplate magmas that provide a means of documenting isotopic variations of the Earth's mantle through time. To investigate the secular Li isotopic evolution of the mantle and to test whether Li isotopes document systematic recycling of material processed at or near the Earth's surface into the mantle, we analyzed the Li isotopic compositions of carbonatites an...

The 5-band Clementine UVVIS data at 100 m/pixel were used to examine the compositions of 75 large and small lunar pyroclastic deposits (LPDs), and these were compared to representative lunar maria and highlands deposits. Results show that the albedo, spectral color, and inferred composition of most LPDs are similar to those of low-titanium, mature lunar maria. These LPDs may have consisted larg...

[1] Orbital images from the MESSENGER spacecraft show that ~27% of Mercury’s surface is covered by smooth plains, the majority (>65%) of which are interpreted to be volcanic in origin. Most smooth plains share the spectral characteristics of Mercury’s northern smooth plains, suggesting they also share their magnesian alkali-basalt-like composition. A smaller fraction of smooth plains interprete...

[1] Over the past several decades, contrasting models have been proposed for the physical and chemical processes responsible for the uplift and long‐term stability of the Colorado Plateau (CP) and crustal thinning beneath the Basin and Range Province (BRP) in the southwestern United States. Here we provide new constraints on the models by modeling gravity anomalies and by systematically analyzi...