Glass in the Bottom of Small Lunar Craters: An Observation from Apollo 15

The origin of glazed rock fragments and glassy splatter in the bottom of fresh, 0.5- to 3.0-m-diameter lunar craters has been the subject of much debate. Evidence presented from Apollo 15 data indicates that one such crater, with an associated glass-coated projectile, is of low velocity, “secondary” origin. It is shown that, for the crater examined, the glassy material cannot have been formed in situ by impact fusion due to the low energy involved. It is suggested that the glass in many such craters may be carried as a semi-liquid or solidified coating on incoming rock projectiles ejected from local primary impact craters of larger size.