Newly Discovered Moon Mineral Unveiled by Chinese Mission

In December 2020, the Chang’e-5 mission embarked on an extraordinary journey to the Moon, marking a milestone in lunar exploration. Its mission is to land, collect, and return rocks to Earth. This endeavor marked the first collection of lunar material in 45 years, offering a treasure trove of insights into the Moon’s composition and history.

Unveiling Lunar Mysteries

The samples retrieved by Chang’e-5 have unveiled fascinating revelations about the Moon’s makeup. They have reaffirmed the presence of water and revealed the surprising discovery of rust in surface rocks.

The exploration of high-pressure minerals is particularly intriguing. These minerals are believed to have formed due to asteroid or cometary impacts. While the Moon’s surface is pockmarked with craters, previous lunar samples lacked these unique minerals.

Discoveries Within the Samples

Researchers made remarkable discoveries within the lunar samples. They identified a new phosphate mineral, Changesite-(Y), representing the first new lunar mineral from the Chinese probe’s collection. This transparent, colorless mineral, composed of column-shaped crystals, likely formed during the late stages of basalts’ crystallization in the region where Chang’e-5 touched down.

The findings of two known shock minerals, stishovite, and seifertite, were even more captivating. These silica polymorphs, possessing the same composition as ordinary quartz but with distinct crystalline structures, offer valuable insights into the Moon’s geological history.

Insights into Mineral Formation

These high-pressure minerals in lunar samples pose intriguing questions about their formation. While impact craters are abundant on the lunar surface, such minerals are rare. Researchers speculate that their scarcity may be due to their high-temperature instability.

Additionally, the coexistence of stishovite and seifertite in a specific sample suggests dynamic processes at play, possibly involving phase transformations under varying conditions.

Origins of the Samples

The lunar samples are believed to originate from the Aristarchus crater, situated not far from the landing site in Oceanus Procellarum. Ejecta from a historical collision likely deposited these samples, providing a glimpse into a distant lunar event.

The Chang’e-5 mission has expanded our understanding of the Moon’s geology and opened new avenues for exploration and discovery. As researchers continue to analyze these precious samples, the mysteries of Earth‘s celestial companion slowly unravel, offering profound insights into the evolution of our solar system.

Read the original article in the journal Matter and Radiation at Extremes.

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