Researchers make an astonishing discovery while examining moon rocks: a previously unknown material now reveals more about the history of the moon.
Beijing - If you observe the moon from Earth, it appears like Swiss cheese - not only because of its yellowish color on some days, but especially because of the countless craters that can be seen on its surface.
They were largely created by collisions with celestial bodies such as asteroids or comets and shape the lunar surface.
The moon – a celestial body, many facets
The moon – a celestial body, many facets
However, the impacts not only left craters on the moon, but also other traces in the lunar rock.
The intense pressure and temperature that arise from such a collision also change the composition and structure of the so-called regolith, i.e. the loosened moon rock.
By studying the moon rocks, researchers can find out more about the moon's past.
A Chinese research team has now achieved exactly that.
Chinese researchers examine moon rocks and find new material
Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences examined the lunar material that the Chinese lunar mission “Chang'e 5” brought to Earth in 2020.
The research team found a new material that was named “Changesite-(Y)”.
The researchers also discovered a “confusing combination of silica minerals,” according to a statement about the study.
The work was
published in the journal
Matter and Radiation Extremes .
“Although the lunar surface is covered by tens of thousands of impact craters, high-pressure minerals are uncommon in lunar samples,” explains study author Wei Du.
“One of the possible explanations for this is that most high-pressure minerals are unstable at high temperatures.
Those formed upon impact may therefore have undergone a retrograde process.”
Newly discovered moon mineral consists of transparent crystals
The newly discovered moon mineral “Changesite-(Y)” is a phosphate mineral composed of colorless, transparent, columnar crystals.
The research team estimates that the impact that created the material lasted about 0.1 to one second and had a peak pressure of 11 to 40 gigapascals.
Depending on the angle of impact on the moon, a crater with a diameter of three to 32 kilometers was likely created, according to the researchers' calculations.
+
There are countless craters on the moon that can be easily seen from Earth.
(archive image)
© Jens Büttner/dpa
Taking into account the silica minerals that were also found, the research team assumes that the material examined was probably created in the collision that hit the Aristarchus crater on the moon.
The crater is seen as a bright and large formation to the northwest of the moon.
It is considered the brightest of the large craters and can be seen with the naked eye from Earth.
It has a diameter of around 40 kilometers.
(tab)
Category list image: © Jens Büttner/dpa