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Chinese Journal of Nature >

2022 , Vol. 44 >Issue 5: 329 - 338

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2022.05.002

Invited Special Paper

Chang'e-5 sample “tells” the story of the Moon 

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  • The Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China

Received date: 2022-06-07

  Online published: 2022-10-21

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Abstract

Chang'e-5 mission has achieved China's first sample return from extraterrestrial bodies. It is an important milestone of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program, opening a new era of lunar scientific research in the country. Chang'e-5 landed in one of the youngest basalt units on the Moon, the northern Oceanus Procellarum. Orbital observation shows that the landing area has unique chemical composition, such as moderate TiO2 and high Th contents. Scientists applied state-of-the-art analytical techniques to study the basalt fragments in the Chang'e-5 soil sample and found that they were formed at about 2 billion years ago, 800 million years later than the latest lunar volcanic activity dated by the Apollo samples and lunar meteorites. The trigger of this young volcanic activity is still unclear. However, two leading mechanisms can be ruled out, KREEP-rich sources providing an additional heat source for mantle melting or water-rich sources lowering melting point. New samples bring new discoveries, and the new discoveries give birth to new theories. The mystery of the long-term volcanic activity on the Moon is still unraveled, and new theories are about to be established. 

Cite this article

YANG Wei . Chang'e-5 sample “tells” the story of the Moon [J]. Chinese Journal of Nature, 2022 , 44(5) : 329 -338 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2022.05.002

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