Spillage of lunar polar crater volatiles onto adjacent terrains: The case for dynamic processes

Abstract

Abstract We present an investigation of the release and transport of lunar polar crater volatiles onto topside regions surrounding the cold traps. The volatiles are liberated via surface energization processes associated with the harsh space environment, including solar wind plasma sputtering and impact vaporization. We find that some fraction of these volatiles can migrate from crater floors onto topside regions (those regions directly adjacent to and above the polar crater floors), and that these surrounding terrains should contain a sampling of the material originating within the crater itself. It is concluded that the nature of the volatile content on crater floors can be obtained by sampling the surface volatiles that have migrated or “spilled out” onto the adjacent terrain. This “spillage” effect could make human or robotic prospecting for crater resources significantly easier, since an assessment may not require direct entry into the very harsh polar crater environment. We also suggest that there are dynamic processes actively operating on the crater floors, and we estimate their source rates assuming dynamic equilibrium of the observed water frost and our modeled loss rates.