4.46 Ga zircons anchor chronology of lunar magma ocean

J. Greer; B. Zhang; D. Isheim; David N Seidman; A. Bouvier; P. R. Heck

doi:10.7185/geochemlet.2334

4.46 Ga zircons anchor chronology of lunar magma ocean

J. Greer^*, B. Zhang, D. Isheim, David N Seidman, A. Bouvier, P. R. Heck

^*Corresponding author for this work

Materials Science and Engineering

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

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The crystallisation ages of lunar samples provide critical constraints on the minimum formation age of the Moon and its early evolution. Zircon crystals from Apollo 17 lunar impact melt breccia 72255 preserve ancient domains with a concordant average uranium-lead radiometric date of 4460 ± 31 Ma (Zhang et al., 2021), the oldest lunar zircon yet reported. To assess the possible mobility of radiogenic lead in zircon, which may lead to redistribution and clustering of Pb atoms that may cause a U-Pb age bias (Valley et al., 2014), we investigated a zircon grain from Zhang et al. (2021) by atom probe tomography (APT). The atomic spatial resolution analysis of individual mineral grains demonstrates the absence of nanoscale clustering of lead, which supports a 4.46 Ga ancient formation age for lunar zircon in sample 72255. This age pushes back the age of the first preserved lunar crust by ∼40 Myr and provides a minimum formation age for the Moon within 110 Myr after the formation of the solar system.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	49-53
Number of pages	5
Journal	Geochemical Perspectives Letters
Volume	27
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.7185/geochemlet.2334
State	Published - 2023

Funding

We are indebted to the NASA Apollo program and astronauts for collecting the samples, and to Ryan Zeigler and the curation team of NASA Johnson Space Center for allocating the lunar samples used in this research. JG acknowledges funding from the Field Museum’s Women’s Board Women in Science Graduate Fellowship. PRH acknowledges funding from the TAWANI Foundation. BZ’s work is supported by NASA grants 80NSSC19K1238 and 80NSSC23K0035. Atom-probe tomography was performed at the Northwestern University Center for Atom-Probe Tomography (NUCAPT). The LEAP tomograph at NUCAPT was purchased and upgraded with grants from the NSF-MRI (DMR-0420532) and ONR-DURIP (N00014-0400798, N00014-0610539, N00014-0910781, N00014-1712870) programs. NUCAPT received support from the MRSEC program (NSF DMR-2308691) at the Materials Research Center, the SHyNE Resource (NSF ECCS-2025633), and the Initiative for Sustainability and Energy (ISEN) at Northwestern University. We also thank the constructive reviews from an anonymous reviewer and editor Romain Tartèse.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Environmental Chemistry
Geology
Geochemistry and Petrology

Access to Document

10.7185/geochemlet.2334

Cite this

@article{189044c1115e46bebc5189e49c13ec00,

title = "4.46 Ga zircons anchor chronology of lunar magma ocean",

abstract = "The crystallisation ages of lunar samples provide critical constraints on the minimum formation age of the Moon and its early evolution. Zircon crystals from Apollo 17 lunar impact melt breccia 72255 preserve ancient domains with a concordant average uranium-lead radiometric date of 4460 ± 31 Ma (Zhang et al., 2021), the oldest lunar zircon yet reported. To assess the possible mobility of radiogenic lead in zircon, which may lead to redistribution and clustering of Pb atoms that may cause a U-Pb age bias (Valley et al., 2014), we investigated a zircon grain from Zhang et al. (2021) by atom probe tomography (APT). The atomic spatial resolution analysis of individual mineral grains demonstrates the absence of nanoscale clustering of lead, which supports a 4.46 Ga ancient formation age for lunar zircon in sample 72255. This age pushes back the age of the first preserved lunar crust by ∼40 Myr and provides a minimum formation age for the Moon within 110 Myr after the formation of the solar system.",

author = "J. Greer and B. Zhang and D. Isheim and Seidman, {David N} and A. Bouvier and Heck, {P. R.}",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.7185/geochemlet.2334",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "27",

pages = "49--53",

journal = "Geochemical Perspectives Letters",

issn = "2410-339X",

publisher = "European Association of Geochemistry",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - 4.46 Ga zircons anchor chronology of lunar magma ocean

AU - Greer, J.

AU - Zhang, B.

AU - Isheim, D.

AU - Seidman, David N

AU - Bouvier, A.

AU - Heck, P. R.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - The crystallisation ages of lunar samples provide critical constraints on the minimum formation age of the Moon and its early evolution. Zircon crystals from Apollo 17 lunar impact melt breccia 72255 preserve ancient domains with a concordant average uranium-lead radiometric date of 4460 ± 31 Ma (Zhang et al., 2021), the oldest lunar zircon yet reported. To assess the possible mobility of radiogenic lead in zircon, which may lead to redistribution and clustering of Pb atoms that may cause a U-Pb age bias (Valley et al., 2014), we investigated a zircon grain from Zhang et al. (2021) by atom probe tomography (APT). The atomic spatial resolution analysis of individual mineral grains demonstrates the absence of nanoscale clustering of lead, which supports a 4.46 Ga ancient formation age for lunar zircon in sample 72255. This age pushes back the age of the first preserved lunar crust by ∼40 Myr and provides a minimum formation age for the Moon within 110 Myr after the formation of the solar system.

AB - The crystallisation ages of lunar samples provide critical constraints on the minimum formation age of the Moon and its early evolution. Zircon crystals from Apollo 17 lunar impact melt breccia 72255 preserve ancient domains with a concordant average uranium-lead radiometric date of 4460 ± 31 Ma (Zhang et al., 2021), the oldest lunar zircon yet reported. To assess the possible mobility of radiogenic lead in zircon, which may lead to redistribution and clustering of Pb atoms that may cause a U-Pb age bias (Valley et al., 2014), we investigated a zircon grain from Zhang et al. (2021) by atom probe tomography (APT). The atomic spatial resolution analysis of individual mineral grains demonstrates the absence of nanoscale clustering of lead, which supports a 4.46 Ga ancient formation age for lunar zircon in sample 72255. This age pushes back the age of the first preserved lunar crust by ∼40 Myr and provides a minimum formation age for the Moon within 110 Myr after the formation of the solar system.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85178392506&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85178392506&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.7185/geochemlet.2334

DO - 10.7185/geochemlet.2334

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85178392506

SN - 2410-339X

VL - 27

SP - 49

EP - 53

JO - Geochemical Perspectives Letters

JF - Geochemical Perspectives Letters

ER -

4.46 Ga zircons anchor chronology of lunar magma ocean

Abstract

Funding

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this