TAAS GENERAL MEETING
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24 – 7:00PM
REGENER HALL, UNM CAMPUS
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
GUEST SPEAKER: DR. THOMAS PRETTYMAN – “Lunar Volcanism and the Strange Case of the Gruithuisen Domes”
The meeting will open with a welcome by President Mark Goodman to TAAS members old and new, visitors from the public, introduction of Board members present and announcements of upcoming events and observing experiences.
Vice President Steve Snider will then present our speaker for the evening, Dr. Thomas Prettyman.
(Text by Dr. Prettyman)
A casual observer of the full Moon will report a pattern of bright and dark regions, sometimes resembling a face or a rabbit. The former are the rugged highlands, remnants of the Moon's primordial crust. The latter are the maria, created by basaltic lava that erupted onto the surface and flowed into impact basins on the lunar nearside. Not visible to the naked eye is the great lunar hotspot, a radioelement-rich region that spans the western maria.
The radioelements potassium, thorium, and uranium provide clues about volcanic processes. In addition to the mare basalts, structures formed by silica rich magmas dot the nearside within the hotspot, including the enigmatic Gruithuisen Domes. These silicic volcanic domes are a source of wonder to the lunar science community: On Earth, silicic volcanism is commonly associated with water and plate tectonics, but the Moon is a comparatively dry, single plate system. Several hypotheses for the formation of silicic magmas in the lunar environment have been suggested.
The hypotheses can be tested by measuring the silica and radioelement content of surface materials; however, orbital observations are insufficient. The measurements need to be made on the surface. To better understand this rare style of lunar volcanism, the NASA Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE) will deploy a scientific payload on a lander and a rover to the Gruithuisen Domes, located on the western rim of Mare Imbrium. I'll describe the mission and explain how the anticipated data could unravel the mystery of the Gruithuisen Domes.
BIO:
. Tom Prettyman (Ph.D., Nuclear Engineering) is a Senior Scientist at the Planetary Science Institute. His research focus is the application of nuclear instrumentation and methods to planetary geology.
. Mission experience includes Lunar Prospector, 2001 Mars Odyssey, and Dawn. For Dawn, he was the lead for the Dawn Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector investigation and is actively involved in studies of Vesta and Ceres. He is currently a Co-I for the NASA Lunar-VISE and Psyche missions.
