GRAIL, LLR, and LOLA constraints on the interior structure of the Moon

Isamu Matsuyama; Francis Nimmo; James T. Keane; Ngai H. Chan; G. Jeffrey Taylor; Mark A. Wieczorek; Walter S. Kiefer; James G. Williams

doi:10.1002/2016GL069952

GRAIL, LLR, and LOLA constraints on the interior structure of the Moon

Isamu Matsuyama, Francis Nimmo, James T. Keane, Ngai H. Chan, G. Jeffrey Taylor, Mark A. Wieczorek, Walter S. Kiefer, James G. Williams

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

35 Scopus citations

Abstract

The interior structure of the Moon is constrained by its mass, moment of inertia, and k₂ and h₂ tidal Love numbers. We infer the likely radius, density, and (elastic limit) rigidity of all interior layers by solving the inverse problem using these observational constraints assuming spherical symmetry. Our results do not favor the presence of a low rigidity transition layer between a liquid outer core and mantle. If a transition layer exists, its rigidity is constrained to (Formula presented.) GPa, with a preference for the high rigidity values. Therefore, if a transition layer exists, it is more likely to have a rigidity similar to that of the mantle (∼70 GPa). The total (solid and liquid) core mass fraction relative to the lunar mass is constrained to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) for interior structures with and without a transition layer, respectively, narrowing the range of possible giant impact formation scenarios.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	8365-8375
Number of pages	11
Journal	Geophysical Research Letters
Volume	43
Issue number	16
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1002/2016GL069952
State	Published - Aug 28 2016

Keywords

lunar interior

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Geophysics
Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)

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10.1002/2016GL069952

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title = "GRAIL, LLR, and LOLA constraints on the interior structure of the Moon",

abstract = "The interior structure of the Moon is constrained by its mass, moment of inertia, and k2 and h2 tidal Love numbers. We infer the likely radius, density, and (elastic limit) rigidity of all interior layers by solving the inverse problem using these observational constraints assuming spherical symmetry. Our results do not favor the presence of a low rigidity transition layer between a liquid outer core and mantle. If a transition layer exists, its rigidity is constrained to (Formula presented.) GPa, with a preference for the high rigidity values. Therefore, if a transition layer exists, it is more likely to have a rigidity similar to that of the mantle (∼70 GPa). The total (solid and liquid) core mass fraction relative to the lunar mass is constrained to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) for interior structures with and without a transition layer, respectively, narrowing the range of possible giant impact formation scenarios.",

keywords = "lunar interior",

author = "Isamu Matsuyama and Francis Nimmo and Keane, {James T.} and Chan, {Ngai H.} and Taylor, {G. Jeffrey} and Wieczorek, {Mark A.} and Kiefer, {Walter S.} and Williams, {James G.}",

note = "Funding Information: The GRAIL mission is supported by NASA's Discovery Program and is performed under contract to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. A portion of the research described in this paper was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Government sponsorship is acknowledged. The data used are listed in the references and tables. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright}2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.",

year = "2016",

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doi = "10.1002/2016GL069952",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "43",

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AU - Matsuyama, Isamu

AU - Nimmo, Francis

AU - Keane, James T.

AU - Chan, Ngai H.

AU - Taylor, G. Jeffrey

AU - Wieczorek, Mark A.

AU - Kiefer, Walter S.

AU - Williams, James G.

N1 - Funding Information: The GRAIL mission is supported by NASA's Discovery Program and is performed under contract to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology. A portion of the research described in this paper was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Government sponsorship is acknowledged. The data used are listed in the references and tables. Publisher Copyright: ©2016. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved.

PY - 2016/8/28

Y1 - 2016/8/28

N2 - The interior structure of the Moon is constrained by its mass, moment of inertia, and k2 and h2 tidal Love numbers. We infer the likely radius, density, and (elastic limit) rigidity of all interior layers by solving the inverse problem using these observational constraints assuming spherical symmetry. Our results do not favor the presence of a low rigidity transition layer between a liquid outer core and mantle. If a transition layer exists, its rigidity is constrained to (Formula presented.) GPa, with a preference for the high rigidity values. Therefore, if a transition layer exists, it is more likely to have a rigidity similar to that of the mantle (∼70 GPa). The total (solid and liquid) core mass fraction relative to the lunar mass is constrained to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) for interior structures with and without a transition layer, respectively, narrowing the range of possible giant impact formation scenarios.

AB - The interior structure of the Moon is constrained by its mass, moment of inertia, and k2 and h2 tidal Love numbers. We infer the likely radius, density, and (elastic limit) rigidity of all interior layers by solving the inverse problem using these observational constraints assuming spherical symmetry. Our results do not favor the presence of a low rigidity transition layer between a liquid outer core and mantle. If a transition layer exists, its rigidity is constrained to (Formula presented.) GPa, with a preference for the high rigidity values. Therefore, if a transition layer exists, it is more likely to have a rigidity similar to that of the mantle (∼70 GPa). The total (solid and liquid) core mass fraction relative to the lunar mass is constrained to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) for interior structures with and without a transition layer, respectively, narrowing the range of possible giant impact formation scenarios.

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GRAIL, LLR, and LOLA constraints on the interior structure of the Moon

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