|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
megaregolith
megaregolith A layer of fractured or fragmented material that underlies the surface regolith of a rocky body, such as a planetary satellite or asteroid. A megaregolith may be formed by a major collision that causes extensive fracturing. On the Moon, the megaregolith is the thicker layer of ejecta from basin-forming impacts that underlies the surface regolith. It varies in thickness with distance from the lunar basins from a few hundred metres to a kilometre or more.
|
|
|
Cite this article
"megaregolith." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "megaregolith." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-megaregolith.html "megaregolith." A Dictionary of Astronomy. 1997. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O80-megaregolith.html |
|
megaregolith
megaregolith The fractured and brecciated zone of rock formed on the lunar highland crust due to the intense early bombardment during the period from 4.4 billion years ago, when the crust was forming, to 3.85 billion years ago, when the Imbrium and Orientale collisions marked the close of the massive basin-forming events. Estimates of the depth of the megaregolith extend from 1 km to 25 km, the latter estimate coinciding with an observed seismic boundary.
|
|
|
Cite this article
AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "megaregolith." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jun. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "megaregolith." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (June 1, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-megaregolith.html AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "megaregolith." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved June 01, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-megaregolith.html |
|