lunar Shioli crater
lunar Shioli crater
Crustal origin for olivine in the lunar Shioli crater ejecta boulders: Insights from the
geological setting of Theophilus crater and Nectaris basin
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2024.116239
Distribution of mapped boulders around Shioli crater and the SLIM landing site
Distribution of ejecta boulders of Theophilus crater, as mapped using Chandrayaan-3 OHRC images and the location of the Japanese SLIM landing site.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission on 6 September 2023, which landed on the lunar surface on 19 January 2024. The landing site is near the 280-m diameter Shioli crater, which was emplaced on the southwestern ejecta blanket of 103 km diameter complex crater, Theophilus (First Figure). The previous studies suggested that the ejecta boulders of Shioli crater contain abundant olivine minerals that are interpreted to have originated from the lunar mantle. In contrast, the detailed study of the ejecta boulders of Shioli crater (second figure) by Senthil Kumar (2024) found that the olivine present in the boulders were originated from the upper crust, especially from the olivine bearing mare Nectaris lava flows, but not from the mantle.
Geological setting of lunar Theophilus crater
(a) Geological setting of lunar Theophilus crater and the surrounding regions showing the distribution of secondary impact craters of Theophilus and other distant craters.
(b) Topographic profile of Theophilus crater and the surrounding region.