Mapping of Crustal Magnetic Fields on the Moon

This talk was presented on 2020 April 18 at the 2019-20 NASA Arizona Space Grant Symposium. The event was virtually available via Zoom.

Mapping of Crustal Magnetic Fields on the Moon (Cecilyn Bustamante Torres, Dr. Lon Hood) Orbital magnetometer data from two missions (the NASA Lunar Prospector mission and the Japanese Kaguya mission) were used to map magnetic anomalies on the Moon. These magnetic field anomalies are produced by magnetized material in the lunar crust. It is known that the Moon had a dynamo magnetic field, but it is not certain what the magnetized material consists of. The orbital magnetometer data were used to create maps, which will allow better modeling and interpretation of the magnetic anomalies. Correlations with surface geology will help to distinguish between sources such as impact ejecta containing iron from the impactors that created large craters on the Moon. Modeling can determine directions of magnetization, which indicate the orientation of the dynamo magnetic field when the magnetized material was first formed. The location of the magnetic pole at the time it was formed can be estimated if the magnetizing field was generated in the Moon’s iron core.