Lunar Mascons And Water

[cyclonebuster]

Areas of the moon have greater mass than other areas such as this image of the moon.
I am betting water would accumulate in greater concentrations than the current 16 oz per 1000lbs of lunar material in these regions. In fact there may may be underground artesian wells in such areas where the mountainous crater walls exist. We need to drill wells in these locations to find water.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/MoonLP150Q_grav_150.jpg

 

[CalliArcale]

I dunno; wouldn't the lunar mascons be denser than the surrounding areas (hence why they have more mass), which would imply less water? (Water is not very dense, after all.)

 

[MeteorWayne]

Eaxctly.

 

[cyclonebuster]

I dunno; wouldn't the lunar mascons be denser than the surrounding areas (hence why they have more mass), which would imply less water? (Water is not very dense, after all.)

Wouldn't more massive areas attract less massive compounds if they were around thus increasing PPM or PPB of that compound?

 

[MeteorWayne]

Maybe, but if it did, the local mass concentration (remember MasCon= Mass Concentration) would be reduced and they wouldn't be Mascons anymore...

 

[cyclonebuster]

Maybe, but if it did, the local mass concentration (remember MasCon= Mass Concentration) would be reduced and they wouldn't be Mascons anymore...

Even with the water the mascons could be more massive than the surrounding areas if the other elemets within the mascon area are more massive.

 

[CalliArcale]

That's a pretty big "if", unless you're suggesting that the mascons are still almost entirely *not* water.

Note that water doesn't flow on the Moon. It's too cold. Even subsurface water would have to be in the form of ice.

 

[cyclonebuster]

That's a pretty big "if", unless you're suggesting that the mascons are still almost entirely *not* water.

Note that water doesn't flow on the Moon. It's too cold. Even subsurface water would have to be in the form of ice.

Not where the sun is illuminating the surface.

 

[Saiph]

actually in direct sunlight the water ice that is there would directly sublimate into a gas...no liquid phase...due to lack of any atmospheric pressure.

So...still no liquid.


that being said, a brief look at the conditions would lead me to look at the mascons first for higher water concentrations...but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't much there (certainly no large aquifers).

 

[cyclonebuster]

actually in direct sunlight the water ice that is there would directly sublimate into a gas...no liquid phase...due to lack of any atmospheric pressure.

So...still no liquid.


that being said, a brief look at the conditions would lead me to look at the mascons first for higher water concentrations...but I wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't much there (certainly no large aquifers).

Would not surface tension and ground absorbtion hold it there underground thus preventing it from vaporizing away? Never know unless we drill for it.

 

[cyclonebuster]

Perhaps on the near side on the top right corner where that deep blue ring surrounds that slight mascon holds water. That meteor my have hit an aquafer.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0f/MoonLP150Q_grav_150.jpg

 

[dayofunke]

If the lunar made of water, there will be water if we dig down.

 

[Saiph]

if it's down deep enough for that, I don't think it'll be warm enough melt in the first place...

Mobile water on the moon is really, really hard to justify. If there is any, it's in a very specific set of circumstances, and not widespread at all.

 

[cyclonebuster]

if it's down deep enough for that, I don't think it'll be warm enough melt in the first place...

Mobile water on the moon is really, really hard to justify. If there is any, it's in a very specific set of circumstances, and not widespread at all.

Like near a mascon and or underground cave possibly.

 

[Saiph]

I don't see how a mascon would help really, and an underground cave might help (captured vaporized water provides sufficient pressure to allow liquid phase)...but you still have the entire heating problem. Why wouldn't it be ice?

 

[cyclonebuster]

I don't see how a mascon would help really, and an underground cave might help (captured vaporized water provides sufficient pressure to allow liquid phase)...but you still have the entire heating problem. Why wouldn't it be ice?

Ice or water I don't think that would matter. I am just thinking a more massive area would tend to capture a less massive molecule such as water.

 

[SpaceTas]

The larger lunar mascons are located at circular lava filled impacts such as Imbrium, Orientale, Criisium. The combination of the extra density of the lava filling these basin, and the denser mantle (layer below crust) being higher than average under these impacts explains them. Tough the mix is uncertain, and why the mantle should be thicker under impacts is not really explained.

Wikpedia and this link http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/06nov_loworbit.htm are good.
There's a reasonable map from the Apollo days, but there should be a more up-to-date version from Clemintine.
Also the current LRO will get a better map.

The notion that the extra mass of a mascon would preferentially attract less massive molecules (= "lighter" materials) ... do you see the problem(s)???

 

[cyclonebuster]

The larger lunar mascons are located at circular lava filled impacts such as Imbrium, Orientale, Criisium. The combination of the extra density of the lava filling these basin, and the denser mantle (layer below crust) being higher than average under these impacts explains them. Tough the mix is uncertain, and why the mantle should be thicker under impacts is not really explained.

Wikpedia and this link http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/06nov_loworbit.htm are good.
There's a reasonable map from the Apollo days, but there should be a more up-to-date version from Clemintine.
Also the current LRO will get a better map.

The notion that the extra mass of a mascon would preferentially attract less massive molecules (= "lighter" materials) ... do you see the problem(s)???

I see a greater mass attracting anything less massive. We need to drill for water in such areas as it may have pooled underneath the lunar regolith at mascon locations especially where the sun is lighting the surface.