Crystal Distribution in a Solidifying Lunar Magma Ocean

Abstract

During its early history, the Moon experienced a phase of planetary-scale melting that is commonly referred to as the Lunar Magma Ocean (LMO). Progressive crystallization of the LMO lead to differentiation of the lunar interior into a crust and a stratified mantle.

The composition of the crystallizing solids strongly depends on the degree of crystal fractionation. However, the degree of crystal fractionation in the magma ocean and its evolution with time is still poorly constrained since it depends on multiple factors, including the initial thermal state of the LMO, the ability of the magma to suspend crystals by vigorous convection or the kinetics of crystal growth and dissolution during transport in the LMO and the resulting distribution of crystals in the LMO.

In this study we combine multiple modeling approaches to investigate the distribution of crystals in a solidifying magma ocean and the evolution of the crystal budget during LMO solidification.