Evidence from Impact Crater Observations for Few Large Impacts on the Moon 0.8-1.7 Ga
Abstract
Our Moon is a keystone for understanding the inner solar system impact flux through time, because it is the only body for which we have crater size-frequency distributions (SFDs) through most of bombardment history and radiometric ages of probable associated terrains. Even so, the bombardment rate over the last 3.5 Gyr is poorly understood. According to the spatial density of sub-km craters on dated lunar terrains, the lunar impact flux has been roughly constant over this interval [e.g., 1 and references therein]. If so, one may expect that craters with diameter (D) > 50 km should also be equally dispersed in time over the last 3.5 Gyr. Surprisingly, our new work indicates this may not be so. We have compiled SFDs for small, superposed craters with D~0.6-15 km on the original floors of several previously designated Copernican and Eratothenian craters (USGS Geological Atlas of the Moon and [2]) with D > 50 km using JMARS. Using these data we compute the large craters' formation model ages with the Model Production Function chronology developed by Marchi et al. [3]. Many of these craters, especially on the farside (e.g., Sharnov, Birkeland), can now be suitably examined only because of the excellent LROC imaging (we use the Wide Angle Camera mosaic). As a test of our methods, we calculated the model age of the 55 km crater Aristillus (34°N, 1°E), a relatively young crater thought to have showered the Apollo 15 landing site with ejecta. Interestingly, our model age of 2.2 ± 0.6 Ga is surprisingly consistent with a 2.1 Ga-old impact-derived clast (radiometric age) returned by the Apollo 15 astronauts [4]. We find that nearly all of our computed ages for the large craters are older than indicated by previous work, with very few having ages younger than 3 Ga. Reasons for these discrepancies include (i) use of poor resolution Lunar Orbiter images (especially away from the near side) and (ii) application of the unreliable "DL" method, which involves simplified assumptions about how craters degrade. In addition, when our crater ages are combined with others determined (e.g., Copernicus, Tycho, King; [5-9]), we preliminarily observe a relative lull in lunar impact cratering for ~0.8-1.7 Ga. Intriguingly, this interval appears to roughly coincide with a period on Earth called the "boring billion" [10], when the evolution of life appears to have been stagnant and oceans were euxinic (poorly mixed, largely starved of oxygen). We speculate that absence of major terrestrial impacts may have surprising implications for the history of life and our biosphere. References: [1] Neukum, G., et al. (2001) SSR 96, 55-86. [2] Wilhelms, D.E. (1987) Geologic History of the Moon USGS, Paper 1348. [3] Marchi, S., et al. (2009) AJ 137, 4936-4948. [4] Ryder, G., et al. (1991) Geology 19, 143-146. [5] Neukum, G. and B. König (1976). Lunar Sci. VII. Proc., 2867-2881. [6] Hiesinger, H., et al. (2012) JGR 117, E00H10, doi: 10.1029/2011je003935. [7] van der Bogert, C.H., et al. (2010). LPSC XLI. Abst. #2165. [8] McEwen, A.S., et al. (1993) JGR 98, 17207-17231. [9] Ashley, J.W., et al. (2011). 42nd LPSC, Abst. #2437. [10] Holland, H.D. (2006) Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B 361, 903-915.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFM.P53A2062K
- Keywords:
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- 5225 PLANETARY SCIENCES: ASTROBIOLOGY / Early environment of Earth;
- 5420 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS / Impact phenomena;
- cratering;
- 6250 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLAR SYSTEM OBJECTS / Moon