Chinese scientists have published a study that helps explain an anomaly in the composition of the Moon’s largest crater, the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA), by identifying the abnormal materials that exist as originating from the lunar crust.
The study was conducted by a Chinese research team studying planetary science at Shandong University and was published in Astrophysical Journal Letters. It was based on data collected by China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft, which was launched on December 8, 2018, then landed in the basin.
In analyzing part of the basin that presents the anomaly, the scientists found that it contained an unexpectedly high amount of material that is normally found in the lunar crust, along with materials that are normally below the surface, in the known area. in the fireplace. The crustal material may have been left behind after the original impact that formed the basin, or it may have arrived as a result of other impacts on the Moon, the document says.
Scientists developed a model of mineral abundance that shows the relationship between the main components of the Moon: plagioclase, pyroxene and olivine. According to the model, the upper layer of the moon is formed by a lunar crust formed by plagioclase, under which is an area of the chimney composed of heavier pyroxene and olivine. Therefore, the existence of plagioclase can be used to distinguish between rocks derived from the crust of rocks derived from mantle.
The research team found that the abundance of plagioclase in the area presenting the anomaly is higher than the average amount produced by the impact of the basin, indicating the presence of materials in the crust.
“These analyzes highlight the importance of plagioclase and crustal materials in mineralogical research and future explorations of the SPA basin (and the moon),” the paper said.
On January 3, 2019, the Chang’e-4 spacecraft landed on Von Karman Crater, located in the South Aitken Pole Basin, and subsequently collected scientific data about the area.
The probe’s landing and rover have now been switched to idle mode for lunar night after working stably for a 44th lunar day.
To date, no physical samples have been collected from the basin and returned to Earth to obtain its trace elements and isotopes. The country plans to launch its Chang’e-6 spacecraft to collect samples from the basin by 2024.
The South Pole Basin-Aitken is the largest, deepest and oldest crater on the Moon. Basin studies are of great importance to reveal the origin of lunar asymmetry, the impact process, early evolution, and deep material composition.