A study of lunar samples retrieved by China’s Chang’e-6 mission has unveiled the thermal forces driving the moon’s relatively recent volcanic activity. The findings offer fresh perspectives on the distinct evolutionary paths of the moon’s near and far sides, challenging existing understandings of lunar thermal history, as reported by
Xinhua News Agency, a partner of TV BRICS.
For many years, scientists believed lunar volcanic activity ceased around 3 billion years ago. However, samples from the Chang’e-5 and Chang’e-6 missions, dated at 2 billion and 2.8 billion years old, respectively, confirmed that volcanic eruptions continued during the moon’s “later years”, presenting a puzzle for researchers to solve regarding the source of the energy.
A research team from the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry analysed the Chang’e-6 samples and identified two distinct types of basalt, differing in composition and origin depth, despite being of similar age (approximately 2.8 and 2.9 billion years old).
Through simulations replicating the high-temperature, high-pressure conditions within the moon, the researchers concluded that the two basalt types stemmed from separate layers formed as the early lunar magma ocean cooled: one from a common pyroxenite layer and the other from an ilmenite-bearing pyroxenite layer.
The global remote sensing data further suggested that young volcanic rocks on the near side of the moon possess chemical characteristics similar to the Chang’e-5 basalts, while those on the far side are more similar to the Chang’e-6 very-low-titanium basalts.
This indicates compositional differences within the lunar mantle between the near and far sides, with the near side’s shallow mantle containing more ilmenite and the far side containing relatively less. These findings provide new insights into understanding the Moon’s asymmetric evolutionary process, as reported by the source.
Photo:
iStock / Helen_Field
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