A Model of the Primordial Lunar Atmosphere

Abstract

We create the first quantitative model for the early lunar atmosphere, coupled with a magma ocean crystallization model. Immediately after formation, the moon's surface was subject to a radiative environment that included contributions from the early Sun, a post-impact Earth that radiated like a mid-type M dwarf star, and a cooling global magma ocean. This radiative environment resulted in a largely Earth-side atmosphere on the Moon, ranging from $\sim$10${}^4$ to $\sim$10${}^2$ pascals, composed of heavy volatiles (Na and SiO). This atmosphere persisted through lid formation and was additionally characterized by supersonic winds that transported significant quantities of moderate volatiles and likely generated magma ocean waves. The existence of this atmosphere may have influenced the distribution of some moderate volatiles and created temperature asymmetries which influenced ocean flow and cooling. Such asymmetries may characterize young, tidally locked rocky bodies with global magma oceans and subject to intense irradiation.

In press at EPSL

References in corpus (3)

• Multiple Impact Origin for the Moon
• Earthshine on a Young Moon: Explaining the Lunar Farside Highlands
• An asymptotic model for the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Miles mechanisms of water wave generation by wind

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Vapor drainage in the protolunar disk as the cause for the depletion in volatile elements of the Moon
• Was the Sun a Slow Rotator? -- Sodium and Potassium Constraints from the Lunar Regolith
• Modeling a Transient Secondary Paleo-Lunar Atmosphere: 3-D Simulations and Analysis
• In-situ Optimized Substrate Witness Plates: Ground Truth for Key Processes on the Moon and Other Planets
• Potential survivable niches for microbial life on the lunar south pole