Research Article
Oct 1973
The Nature of Lunar Soil
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division
Volume 99, Issue 10
Abstract
The index properties of returned lunar soils from the United States Apollo and the Soviet Luna programs are reviewed. The scope of the paper includes lunar soil genesis, particle types, grain size distribution, grain shape distribution, specific gravity, minimum and maximum density, and relative density. The writers also present their own data for the latter three properties, as determined on three 1-gm submillimeter lunar samples taken on Apollo 14 and 15. The lunar soils are shown to be well-graded silty sands to sandy silts, composed of many different particle types (mineral fragments, glasses, agglutinates, basalts, and breccias) all produced primarily by meteorite impacts on the lunar surface. The specific gravity varies from 2.90 to 3.24 and the minimum and maximum bulk densities vary from 0.87 to 0.10 g/cm³ and from 1.51 to 1.89 g/cm³, respectively. The in situ lunar soil can have a low relative density at the surface, increasing rapidly to a very high relative density at depths greater than 10 to 20 cm.
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Information
Published In
Journal of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division
Volume 99 • Issue 10 • October 1973
Pages: 813 - 832
Copyright
© 1973 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published in print: Oct 1973
Published online: Feb 12, 2021
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Authors
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W. Carrier III, M.ASCE
Staff Sci., Planetary and Earth Sci. Div., NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Tex.
James K. Mitchell, F.ASCE
Prof. of Civ. Engrg., Univ. of California, Berkeley, Calif.
Arshud Mahmood
Grad. Research Asst., Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Univ. of California, Berkeley, Calif.
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ASCE Library Cards let you download journal articles, proceedings papers, and available book chapters across the entire ASCE Library platform. ASCE Library Cards remain active for 24 months or until all downloads are used. Note: This content will be debited as one download at time of checkout.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.
Terms of Use: ASCE Library Cards are for individual, personal use only. Reselling, republishing, or forwarding the materials to libraries or reading rooms is prohibited.