Planetary Sciences Division Seminar
Title : Highly Siderophile Elements In Lunar Mantle And Crust Beyond The Procellarum KREEP Terrane
Date : 05-04-2024
Time : 16:00:00
Speaker : Mr. Yash Srivastava
Area : Planetary Sciences Division
Venue : Seminar Room # 113/114 (Thaltej Campus)
Abstract
Volcanism and collisional impacts are the two primary processes that have shaped the terrestrial bodies of the Solar System. While these geological processes are ubiquitous across planetary bodies, the absence of an atmosphere and minimal active geologic processes (e.g., plate tectonics) on the Moon makes it the prime candidate for understanding these processes over a large timescale (~4.4 – 2.0 Ga). The absolute and relative abundances of the highly siderophile elements (HSE: Re, Os, Ir, Ru, Rh, Pt, Pd, and Au) have long been utilized to understand the volcanic and impact history of the Moon. Most of our current understanding of the abundance of highly siderophile elements (HSE) in the Moon comes from returned samples, which limits our insight. This motivates us to analyze additional samples, particularly those likely sourced away from the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT), to better understand HSE abundance and Re-Os isotope variability in lunar crust and mantle reservoirs. In this talk, I will discuss the HSE and Re-Os isotopic abundance of four lunar meteorites, A-881757, Y-86032, Y 981031, and Y 983885, that are likely sourced away from the PKT region. The unbrecciated lunar meteorite A-881757 provides a key understanding of the HSE abundance in the KREEP-free lunar mantle, while the regolith breccia meteorites Y-86032, Y 981031, and Y 983885 offer us to examine the nature, flux, and composition of the materials striking the unexplored lunar surface away from the PKT. Most importantly, these results will provide a robust constraint on the HSE abundance of the Moon, globally.
Title : Dancing Lunar Dust
Date : 12-04-2024
Time : 16:00:00
Speaker : Mr. Trinesh Sana
Area : Planetary Sciences Division
Venue : Seminar Room # 113/114 (Thaltej Campus)
Abstract
The Lunar Horizontal Glow, observed during the Surveyors and Apollo missions, unveiled the intricate dynamics of lunar dust movement. The movement of lunar dust, akin to "dancing," is primarily driven by electrostatic forces generated by the continual bombardment of charged particles from the solar wind and highly energetic UV photons on the lunar surface and dust particles. This celestial choreography is important for unravelling the fundamental processes governing surface evolution not only on the Moon but also across other airless bodies throughout the solar system.
Title : The Highlights Of 55th Lunar And Planetary Science Conference (LPSC-2024)
Date : 19-04-2024
Time : 16:00:00
Speaker : Mr. Trinesh Sana & Dr. Subham Sarkar
Area : Planetary Sciences Division
Venue : Seminar Room # 113/114 (Thaltej Campus)
Abstract
Mr. Trinesh Sana and Dr. Subham Sarkar attended the 55th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC-2024) held from 11th to 15th March 2024 at the Woodlands, Houston, Texas, United States of America. This conference brings together international specialists in petrology, geochemistry, geophysics, geology, and astronomy to present the latest research results in planetary science. The conference is organized jointly by the Lunar and Planetary Institute and NASA. The meeting provides a unique opportunity for scientists from around the world to talk about the latest results of their research and current planetary science missions. Trinesh presented his recent work regarding Dust Charging Within Lunar Photoelectron Sheath. Subham delivered a talk about the maiden detection of Natrolite on Mars using Perseverance Rover Data. Apart from presenting in their own sessions, they have attended various other sessions covering topics to their interests. In this seminar, these two young researchers will share their experiences and knowledge gathered from the conference.