The Isotopic Variation of K and Fe in Apollo 17 Double Drive Tube 73001/2 and Implications for Regolith History and Space Weathering

Space weathering alters the surface materials of airless planetary bodies; however, the effects on moderately volatile elements in the lunar regolith are not well constrained. For the first time, we provide depth profiles for stable K and Fe isotopes in a continuous lunar regolith core, Apollo 17 double drive tube 73001/2. The top of the core is enriched in heavy K isotopes (δ⁴¹K = 3.48 ± 0.05‰) with a significant trend toward lighter K isotopes to a depth of 7 cm; while the lower 44 cm has only slight variation with an average δ⁴¹K value of 0.15 ± 0.05‰. Iron, which is more refractory, shows only minor variation; the δ⁵⁶Fe value at the top of the core is 0.16 ± 0.02‰ while the average bottom 44 cm is 0.11 ± 0.03‰. The isotopic fractionation in the top 7 cm of the core, especially the K isotopes, correlates with soil maturity as measured by ferromagnetic resonance. Kinetic fractionation from volatilization by micrometeoroid impacts is modeled in the double drive tube 73001/2 using Rayleigh fractionation and can explain the observed K and Fe isotopic fractionation. Effects from cosmogenic ⁴¹K (from decay of ⁴¹Ca) were calculated and found to be negligible in 73001/2. In future sample return missions, researchers can use heavy K isotope signatures as tracers of space weathering effects.