Youngest basaltic lunar meteorite fills nearly one billion-year gap in moon's volcanic history

Youngest basaltic lunar meteorite fills nearly one billion-year gap in moon's volcanic history

A 2.35-billion-year-old meteorite with a unique chemical signature, found in Africa in 2023, plugs a major gap in our understanding of the moon's volcanic history.

Ancient Moon Metstone, 23.5 Billion Years Old, Bridges 100 Million-Year Gap in Lunar History

The examination of North West Africa (NWA) 16286 reveals a lunar metstone with a distinctive chemical profile, offering new perspectives on the evolution of the moon’s interior and emphasizing the enduring nature of its volcanic activity. Backscattered electron images of NWA 16286 samples. Image credit: Joshu Asu Nape/University of Manchester. Discovered in Africa in 2023, [...] The post Ancient Moon Metstone, 23.5 Billion Years Old, Bridges 100…

2.35-Billion-Year-Old Lunar Meteorite Fills One-Billion-Year Gap in Volcanic History of the Moon

An analysis of Northwest Africa (NWA) 16286, a lunar meteorite with a unique chemical signature, offers fresh insights into how the Moon’s interior evolved, highlighting the long-lived nature of its volcanic activity. The post 2.35-Billion-Year-Old Lunar Meteorite Fills One-Billion-Year Gap in Volcanic History of the Moon appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.

Discovery of Rare Lunar Meteorite Fills 1 Billion-Year Gap in the Moon’s Volcanic History

In a groundbreaking discovery, a 2.35-billion-year-old lunar meteorite found in Africa in 2023 has unveiled fresh insights into the moon’s volcanic history. This meteorite, with a unique chemical signature, is the youngest basaltic lunar meteorite discovered on Earth. The findings, presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, provide a critical piece of evidence to fill an almost one-billion-year gap in our understanding of the moon’s geol…

Young lunar meteorite sheds light on missing chapter in Moon's volcanic timeline

London, UK (SPX) Jul 09, 2025 A meteorite discovered in Africa in 2023 has been dated to 2.35 billion years old, making it the youngest known basaltic lunar meteorite and filling a nearly billion-year void in the Moon's volcanic history. Presented at the Goldschmidt Conference in Prague, the findings from the meteorite Northwest Africa 16286 offer compelling evidence that the Moon maintained internal heat far longer th