Lunar Crustal Magentism

Intense crustal magnetic anomalies are present within lunar impact basins and at the locations of lunar swirls (enigmatic albedo anomalies that produce wispy light and dark patterns on the lunar surface).  Inferred magnetization intensities for some of these anomalies often exceed those recorded within any Apollo samples.  This observation suggests that certain regions within the Moon’s crust may have substantially higher magnetic carrying capacities than the limited areas that were sampled by the Apollo missions.  Ongoing work focuses on using a combination of experimental petrology and rock magnetic characterization techniques to explore ways that ferromagnetic minerals may have become enriched within the lunar crust and connecting these processes to geological activity that may have occurred on the ancient Moon.