China’s Chang'e-6 mission reveals new data on evolution of Moon’s far side

Scientists from Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG), Chinese Academy of Scienceshave now provided new insights using high-precision potassium isotope analysis of samples collected from the Moon’s far side by the Chang’e-6 mission, reports Guancha, a partner of TV BRICS. 

According to the researchers, isotopic analysis allows scientists to reconstruct ancient impact events. "High-precision isotope analysis is like a 'geological detective,' capable of reconstructing traces left by 'impact events' by detecting minute changes in isotopic ratios," explained Tian Hengci, a researcher at the Institute of Geological Geophysics (IGG) at the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Researchers say that oderately volatile elements such as potassium, zinc, and gallium tend to evaporate and fractionate under the extreme temperatures generated by impacts, leaving behind isotopic signatures that record the energy, temperature, and material characteristics of these collisions.

The return of samples from the South Pole–Aitken basin in 2024 provided a rare opportunity to directly investigate the influence of the Moon’s largest known impact structure on its mantle. The analysis showed that potassium isotope ratios in far-side basalt differ significantly from those found in samples from the near side, confirming that the lunar mantle was modified by the impact. 

Scientists suggest that the preferential loss of lighter isotopes during the impact that formed the South Pole–Aitken basin about 4.25 billion years agolimited deep magma formation and volcanic activity on the far side, shedding new light on the asymmetric geological evolution of the Moon and advancing global understanding of planetary impact processes.

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