Comparison of the Compositions and Microstructures of Terrestrial and Lunar Impact Glasses: Samples from the Zhamanshin Crater and Luna 16, 20, and 24 Missions

Abstract

The paper presents pioneering data on the comparative study of impact glasses from the Zhamanshin crater and lunar regolith (delivered by the Luna 16, 20, and 24 probes). The data were acquired using analytical techniques of ultrahigh spatial resolution. Many of the melt and condensate impact glasses, both terrestrial and lunar, are similar in inner structure and composition, which were controlled primarily by the physics of the impacts and similar compositions of the targets.