Construct · 1 fields · 2 citations

mascon: a standalone construct

One name. One construct. A landmark on the map.

● anchor · one construct: a mass concentration Nearest construct by meaning·not indexed
mascon1 CONSTRUCTMasconMULLER · LUNAR MASCON

A single standalone construct; nearby constructs are located against it in the Collider. Tap a field for its definition, unit, and measures.

Planetary Science

A sub-surface mass concentration producing a positive gravity anomaly.

A mascon (mass concentration) is a regional excess of mass beneath a planetary surface that produces a positive gravitational anomaly; the term was coined by Muller and Sjogren from Lunar Orbiter radio tracking over the Moon's near-side maria, and the origin of the non-mare basin mascons was later modeled by Andrews-Hanna. It is a single, well-defined construct of planetary geophysics, an anchor rather than a cross-field collision.[1][2]

Unit
One mascon, measured as a gravity anomaly (mGal) over an area.
Recovery means
Map a localized positive free-air gravity anomaly over a basin.
Measured by
Spacecraft radio tracking / Doppler; gravity-field inversion (e.g. GRAIL).

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Nearby constructs

anomaly4 fields · 7 citationsjingle · one word, four constructsattractor2 fields · 3 citationsjingle · one word, two constructsbasin1 fields · 1 citationsanchor · a standalone construct

References

  1. Muller, P. M., & Sjogren, W. L. (1968). Mascons: Lunar mass concentrations. Science, 161(3842), 680-684. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.161.3842.680
  2. Andrews-Hanna, J. C. (2013). The origin of the non-mare mascon gravity anomalies in lunar basins. Icarus, 222(1), 159-168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icarus.2012.10.031

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