In situ measurement of ferric iron in lunar glass beads using Fe-XAS

Through use of a new X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) calibration for Fe3+ analysis in silicate glasses, the first direct measurements of ferric iron in natural lunar picritic glasses are presented. Lunar glass beads from the Apollo sample collection contain up to 60.0% Fe3+. No correlation with melt chemical properties, such as Mg# or weight % TiO2, or physical properties, such as bead diameter, was observed. Fe3+/ΣFe is negatively correlated with NBO/T. These elevated Fe3+/ΣFe values reflect eruption and post-eruption oxidation due to magmatic degassing of H or OH. Glass beads observed to be zoned to lower Fe3+/ΣFe rims may represent a subsequent reduction in the lunar vacuum prior to cooling through the glass transition temperature.