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Organic Matter and the Moon, by Carl Sagan (1961) / Chapter Skim
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IV. LUNAR SUBSURFACE TEMPERATURES
Pages 22-23

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From page 22...
... has criticized the numerical values of conductivity and flux adopted by Fremlin. The high value assumed by Fremlin for the heat flux would prevent the Moon from having the tensile strength required to maintain its nonequilibrium figure, and this part of Jaeger's criticism is undeniably valid.
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From page 23...
... 33 h1/2 C°, so that at a depth of ten meters the excess temperature is 10 C°. From microwave observations it is known that the temperatures less than half a meter below the surface vary between 0° and - 70°C during a lunar day and night (Piddington and Minnett, 1949)
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Key Terms

  • dust particles
  • phase changes
  • effective thermal
  • close physical
  • value assumed

  • operative henceforth
  • flux due
  • derived relation
  • surface composed
  • simple geometry

  • radioactive heat
  • strength required
  • hydrostatic pressure
  • effective conductivity
  • physical contact

  • localization effect
  • changes occur
  • thermal conductivity
  • congealed dust
  • radioactive decay

  • level melting
  • undeniably valid
  • moon composed
  • particulate nature
  • heat localization

  • critical level
  • adequately answered
  • dust layers
  • adopted value
  • particle contact


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