Composition, Mineralogy, and Noble Gas Content of Apollo 17 Particles and Soils From the 73002 Drive Tube

Abstract As part of the Apollo Next‐Generation Sample Analysis (ANGSA) program, we provide bulk composition, mineralogy, petrology, and noble gas assays of lunar particles and soils from the top half of the 73001/2 double‐drive tube (i.e., 73002) studied by the ANGSA consortium. The particles are derived from lithologies of the South Massif, including anorthosites, anorthositic breccias, high‐Ti basalts, noritic impact‐melt breccias, agglutinates, and regolith breccias. The impact‐melt breccias are distinguished by their inclusion of high‐Mg spinel that may extend the compositional family of pink spinel troctolites. The noble gas data provide cosmic‐ray exposure ages representing the emplacement of the light mantle unit at 60 Ma preceded by soil exposure in an avalanche‐emplaced surface around 100 Ma. These measurements provide additional insight into the geologic evolution of the Apollo 17 site and the light mantle unit sampled by the double‐drive tube.