US EditionChinese Scientists Discover Rust on the Moon
Chinese scientists identified micron-sized hematite and maghemite in lunar soil, confirming impact-driven oxidation processes and advancing understanding of lunar magnetic anomalies.
- On November 14, Science Advances published Yiheng Liu et al.'s finding of micron-sized hematite and maghemite in Chang'e-6 soil from the South Pole–Aitken Basin.
- Prior orbital visible–near-infrared spectroscopy had suggested hematite at high latitudes, while multivalent iron on the lunar surface and interior is known mainly in ferrous form and oxidation extent remained debated.
- Using high-resolution lab techniques, micro-area electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy confirmed hematite as indigenous lunar minerals, while the authors propose large impacts created a vapor-phase environment that desulfurized troilite and oxidized iron to form hematite.
- The study strengthens links between oxidation and lunar magnetic carriers, providing key sample-based evidence to clarify lunar magnetic anomalies and offering crucial clues on large impact events and lunar evolution.
- Building on Chang'e-5 results, the SPA Basin, one of the largest and oldest impact basins, and the 2024 Chang'e-6 sample return provide an ideal laboratory for studying lunar oxidation.
13 Articles
13 Articles
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Chang’e-6 unearths volcanic and magnetic mysteries on the Moon’s farside
China's Chang’e-6 mission has delivered the first-ever samples from the Moon’s far side, shedding light on one of planetary science’s greatest mysteries: why the near and far sides are so different. The South Pole–Aitken Basin, a colossal crater created 4.25 billion years ago, has now revealed clues about ancient volcanic activity, fluctuating magnetic fields, and unexpectedly dry, depleted lunar mantle regions. These insights could reshape our …
Chang'e-6 samples reveal first evidence of impact-formed hematite and maghemite on the moon
A joint research team from the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS) and Shandong University has for the first time identified crystalline hematite (α-Fe2O3) and maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) formed by a major impact event in lunar soil samples retrieved by China's Chang'e-6 mission from the South Pole–Aitken (SPA) Basin. This finding, published in Science Advances on November 14, provides direct sample-based evidence of hig…
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