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Science 17 February 1978:
Vol. 199. no. 4330, pp. 771 - 773
DOI: 10.1126/science.199.4330.771
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Articles

The Ancient Lunar Core Dynamo

S. K. RUNCORN 1

1 Institute of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, School of Physics, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, England

Lunar paleomagnetism provides evidence for the existence of an ancient lunar magnetic field generated in an iron core. Paleointensity experiments give a surface field of 1.3 gauss, 4.0 x 109 years ago, subsequently decreasing exponentially. Thermodynamic arguments give a minimum value of the heat source in the core at that time: known sources, radioactive and other, are quantitatively implausible, and it is suggested that superheavy elements were present in the early moon.

Submitted on July 20, 1977
Revised on October 19, 1977

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)