ORIGINAL PAPER
Geological exploration of the Moon
1
AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environment Protection
Submission date: 2022-11-08
Final revision date: 2022-12-04
Acceptance date: 2022-12-05
Publication date: 2022-12-20
Corresponding author
Jacek Misiak
AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environment Protection
AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environment Protection
Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management 2022;38(4):91-104
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
Scientific background of mineral resource managementEffective mineral deposits exploitationStrategy and methodology of mineral prospecting and exploration
ABSTRACT
The earliest studies of the Moon consisted of observations from Earth and meteorites containing lunar material. As technology progressed, the observations were made using remote sensing techniques. The next stage of the Moon reconnaissance consisted of unmanned flights, and later manned flights, with the help of which, in-situ tests were performed. The obtained materials enable the formulation of conclusions both about the geological structure and the mineral resources of the moon. The latest maps provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) enable a detailed analysis of the geological structure of the moon. Since they are available in shapefile format for QGIS and ArcGIS software, they can be freely modified and processed. On the basis of these, it is possible to analyze the complexity of the geological structure of the moon, especially with regard to the structure of its substrate and the surface covered with craters. Data obtained from the observation of the Moon with the use of research satellites and research carried out during landings related to the collection of samples enabled the formulation of conclusions about the raw materials present there. These raw materials are related to the surface layer of the so-called regolith, the recognition of which is relatively good because it is based not only on remote studies but also on the basis of collected samples. Additionally, there are indications of the possible presence of mineral resources related to the substrate, but its recognition is relatively poor because it is based on remote and geophysical surveys. The presented analysis shows that the Moon has such minerals as rare earth elements (REE) and Th and U found in the KREEP area. Fe and Ti are found to be in basaltic lava flows occurring in the mares and aluminum, silicon and Helium-3 occur in the regolith.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This article was supported by research subvention AGH No 16.16.140.315.
METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Polish
Stan rozpoznania geologicznego i złożowego Księżyca
księżyc, geologia, surowce mineralne
Najstarsze badania Księżyca polegały na jego obserwacjach z Ziemi oraz meteorytów zawierających materiał księżycowy. W miarę postępu technicznego obserwacje odbywały się za pomocą technik teledetekcyjnych. Kolejnym etapem rozpoznania Księżyca były loty początkowo bezzałogowe, a później załogowe, za pomocą których wykonano badania in situ. Pozyskane materiały pozwalają wnioskować zarówno o budowie geologicznej, jak i zasobach mineralnych Księżyca. Najnowsze mapy udostępnione przez United States Geological Survey (USGS) oraz NASA Planetary Data System (PDS) pozwalają na szczegółową analizę budowy geologicznej Księżyca. Ponieważ udostępnione są w formacie shapefile dla oprogramowania QGIS i ArcGIS, można je dowolnie modyfikować i przetwarzać. Na ich podstawie można analizować złożoność budowy geologicznej Księżyca zwłaszcza w odniesieniu do budowy jego podłoża oraz powierzchni pokrytej kraterami. Dane uzyskane z obserwacji Księżyca za pomocą satelitów badawczych oraz badań wykonanych podczas lądowań związanych z poborem próbek, pozwoliły na sformułowanie wniosków o występujących tam surowcach. Surowce te związane są z warstwą powierzchniową tzw. regolitem, którego rozpoznanie jest stosunkowo dobre, ponieważ opiera się nie tylko na badaniach zdalnych, ale i na podstawie pobranych próbek. Istnieją również przesłanki o możliwości występowania surowców mineralnych związanych z podłożem, jednak jego rozpoznanie jest stosunkowo słabe, ponieważ opera się na badaniach zdalnych i geofizycznych. Z przedstawionej analizy wynika, że na Księżycu występują takie surowce mineralne jak pierwiastki ziem rzadkich (REE) oraz Th i U występujące na obszarze KREEP. Fe i Ti występują w bazaltach budujących morza księżycowe oraz aluminium, krzem i hel-3 występują w regolicie.
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