Chang’e-6 Mission Uncovers Rare Meteorite Fragments on Moon

China’s Chang’e-6 mission has made a groundbreaking discovery on the Moon, unearthing lunar dust that contains tiny fragments of an extremely rare type of meteorite. This finding provides insights into the origins of water on Earth, highlighting the potential for the Moon to preserve clues about the solar system’s history that are often destroyed on our planet.

The lunar dust, extracted from the far side of the Moon, revealed microscopic grains from an Ivuna-type carbonaceous chondrite, commonly known as a CI chondrite. This is the first confirmed instance of such debris being found on the Moon. The discovery indicates that even fragile and water-rich asteroids can leave remnants in lunar soil, despite the challenges of high-speed impacts that typically obliterate these materials upon contact.

CI chondrites are notable for their composition, often rich in water and volatile elements. These meteorites can contain up to 20% of their mass as water combined with hydrated minerals. Understanding how water and other essential ingredients reached Earth and the Moon is crucial for unraveling the history of our solar system.

The fragility of CI chondrites poses significant challenges for their survival when entering the Earth’s atmosphere, where less than 1% of all meteorites found belong to this category. While the Moon lacks an atmosphere that could incinerate these meteorites, the violent impacts that occur when objects crash onto its surface often result in the rocks evaporating, melting, or being blasted back into space.

Research Methodology and Findings

A team of scientists, led by geochemists Jintuan Wang and Zhiming Chen from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, meticulously analyzed the samples collected from the Chang’e-6 mission. They focused on the Apollo crater within the expansive South Pole-Aitken basin, an area rich in geological history due to the numerous impacts it has endured over time.

The researchers examined 5,000 tiny fragments within the samples, specifically looking for olivine, a mineral commonly found in volcanic rocks, impact melts, and meteorites. After careful examination, they identified seven clasts that matched the chemical composition of CI chondrites. These fragments displayed porphyritic textures, characterized by olivine crystals embedded in a vitreous matrix.

To confirm their findings, the team compared silicon and oxygen isotopes, iron-to-manganese ratios, and concentrations of nickel and chromium oxides. The results indicated that the seven clasts did not align with established ranges for lunar and terrestrial rocks, yet their isotopic signatures matched those of CI chondrite meteorites. This suggests that the material likely originated from a CI chondrite asteroid that struck the Moon, melted upon impact, and cooled rapidly enough to preserve its original chemistry.

Implications for Future Research

The implications of this discovery extend beyond the Moon. The researchers noted that their integrated methodology for identifying extraterrestrial materials could prove invaluable for future lunar exploration and analysis of returned samples. “Given the rarity of CI chondrites in Earth’s meteorite collection, our approach offers a valuable tool for reassessing chondrite proportions in the inner solar system,” the team stated.

The Chang’e-6 mission continues to illuminate the complexities of our solar system and the origins of water, enhancing our understanding of the processes that shaped both the Moon and Earth. This finding underscores the Moon’s potential as a site for future research, with the capacity to unlock secrets about the early solar system that remain hidden on our home planet.