New data obtained by the Indian mission «Chandrayaan-3» confirms the theory of the Moon’s turbulent past.
According to the study, published August 21 in the journal Nature, our satellite was once covered by an ocean of magma.
The theory of the Moon’s formation states that nearly 4.5 billion years ago, a Mars-sized protoplanet called Theia collided with a larger protoplanet. As a result of this catastrophic event, Theia broke apart, and much of the other body’s matter was blown into space. Over time, this debris mixed with the remains of Theia to form the Moon.
Santosh Vadavale, the study’s lead author, explains that a key aspect of this theory is the hypothesis of a lunar magma ocean. The energy released during the collision melted the outer layers of the newly formed Moon hundreds of kilometers deep. This global magma ocean cooled and solidified for at least tens of millions of years.
The «Chandrayaan-3» mission was the first successful landing in the lunar circumpolar region. The lunar rover «Pragyan» collected samples of regolith
The results of the analysis mostly confirmed the scientists’ expectations. The composition of the regolith in this region was similar to the equatorial highlands, which further supports the hypothesis of a lunar magma ocean.
However, the researchers found an unexpectedly high content of olivine — a relatively heavy magnesium-based mineral. Although the presence of olivine is not unusual, its amount and ratio with another heavy mineral — pyroxene — was unexpected. In contrast to the previous samples, which were dominated by pyroxene, the «Pragyan» samples had more olivine.
Vadavale emphasizes that this discovery could be important for refining models of lunar formation. However, he warns against jumping to conclusions, noting that further research and modeling are needed to explain this phenomenon.
Source: Popular science