A past lunar dynamo thermally driven by the precession of its inner core

TL;DR

This paper proposes that the Moon's inner core precession-driven heat dissipation could have powered a past lunar dynamo, explaining paleomagnetic records and influencing lunar core evolution.

Contribution

It introduces a thermal convection dynamo mechanism driven by inner core precession, expanding understanding of lunar magnetic history and core dynamics.

Findings

Inner core precession could generate sufficient heat to sustain a lunar dynamo.

The lunar dynamo may have persisted longer than the core-mantle boundary precession-driven dynamo.

Estimated surface magnetic field strengths align with paleomagnetic data after 3 Ga.

Abstract

The Cassini state equilibrium associated with the precession of the Moon predicts that the mantle, fluid core and solid inner core precess at different angles. We present estimates of the dissipation from viscous friction associated with the differential precession at the core-mantle boundary (CMB), $Q_{cmb}$, and at the inner core boundary (ICB), $Q_{icb}$, as a function of the evolving lunar orbit. We focus on the latter and show that, provided the inner core was larger than 100 km, $Q_{icb}$ may have been as high as $10^{10}-10^{11}$ W for most of the lunar history for a broad range of core density models. This is larger than the power required to maintain the fluid core in an adiabatic state, therefore the heat released by the differential precession at the ICB can drive a past lunar dynamo by thermal convection. This dynamo can outlive the dynamo from precession at the CMB and may have shutoff only relatively recently. Estimates of the magnetic field strength at the lunar surface are of the order of a few $\mu$T, compatible with the lunar paleomagnetic intensities recorded after 3 Ga. We further show that it is possible that a transition of the Cassini state associated with the inner core may have occurred as a result of the evolution of the lunar orbit. The heat flux associated with $Q_{icb}$ can be of the order of a few mW m$^{-2}$, which should slow down inner core growth and be included in thermal evolution models of the lunar core.