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GEOLOGISTS REVEAL MYSTERIOUS AND DIVERSE VOLCANISM IN THE MOON’S APOLLO BASIN,
THE LANDING SITE OF CHANG’E-6

VaselineMay 7, 2024


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The Chang’e-6 mission is the world’s first sample return mission to the moon.
Credit: Dr. Yuqi Qian




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The Chang’e-6 mission is the world’s first sample return mission to the moon.
Credit: Dr. Yuqi Qian




The far side of the moon is a mysterious place that is never visible from Earth.
The most remarkable feature of the moon is the asymmetry between the near and
far sides of the moon in terms of composition, crustal thickness, and mare
volcanism. Scientists have not yet reached a consensus on the origin of the
lunar asymmetry due to the lack of samples on the far side, which is one of the
most important remaining questions of lunar science.



The Chang’e-6 mission, launched on May 3, 2024 and currently en route to the
moon, is the world’s first sample return mission to the far side of the moon.
The goal is to return approximately 2 kg of lunar soil to Earth from the
southern mare plain of the Apollo Basin in the South Pole-Aitken Basin, the
largest known impact feature in the solar system. These monsters hold enormous
scientific potential that could be used to solve the lunar dichotomy riddle and
even reshape our knowledge of our nearest neighbor.

As shown in a recent article published in Earth and planetary science lettersDr.
Yuqi Qian, Professors Joseph Michalski and Guochun Zhao from the Department of
Earth Sciences of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and their international
collaborators have extensively studied the volcanism of the Apollo Basin and its
surroundings, revealing the mysterious and diverse volcanism of the Chang’ e-6
landing site with significant implications for the Chang’e-6 sample analysis and
the origin of the lunar dichotomy.

The study found that the Apollo Basin has extensive volcanic activities ranging
from the Nectarian period (~4.05 billion years ago) to the Eratosthenian period
(~1.79 billion years ago). The volcanic activity in the region was significantly
influenced by the thickness of the Earth’s crust. Dikes in a medium-thickness
crust tend to jam beneath the crater floor and spread laterally to form a sill
and fractured crater.



Dikes under the crust that were thinned by the Apollo Basin event reached
directly to the surface and erupted to form widespread lava flows, and dikes in
thick crust lingered before they could reach the surface, forming basaltic dike
intrusions. “This fundamental finding indicates that the difference in thickness
of the Earth’s crust between the near and far sides may be the main cause of
asymmetric volcanism on the moon,” said Dr Qian. “This can be tested from the
returned Chang’e-6 samples.”

Off the southern Mare Plain in the Apollo Basin, where Chang’e-6 is set to land,
there are at least two eruptions. The first erupted ~3.34 billion years ago with
a low Ti composition and covered the entire topographically low region between
the Apollo peak ring and the basin edge. The later eruption occurred ~3.07
billion years ago with a high Ti composition near Chaffee S crater and flowed
eastward with decreasing thickness until encountering proto-ripple ridges.

The authors suggested that the high-Ti basalts in the West have the most
abundant scientific significance. Sampling it would recover high-Ti basalts,
underlying low-Ti basalts, and exotic nonmare materials transported by impact
events. Professor Michalski emphasized: “Diverse sample sources could provide
important insights in solving a series of scientific moon questions hidden in
the Apollo Basin.”

“The result of our research is a great contribution to the Chang’e-6 lunar
mission. It provides a geological framework for a complete understanding of the
soon-to-be-returned Chang’e-6 samples and will be an important reference for the
upcoming sample analysis for Chinese scientists,” said Professor Guochun Zhao,
chairman professor of the Department of Earth Sciences at HKU and co-author of
the article. “It is a big step for HKU, where the university is pursuing
excellence in planetary sciences and increased participation in the national
space program.”

HKU is the only university in Hong Kong to possess lunar samples obtained by the
close-range Chang’e-5 mission. Building on the foundation of this work, HKU’s
geology team will also take advantage of the opportunity to acquire Chang’e-6
samples. This initiative aims to enable HKU to possess lunar samples
representing both the near and far sides, opening up a new window of scientific
research into the study of two lunar hemispheres.



More information:
Yuqi Qian et al., Long-term volcanism across the Apollo Basin: Chang’e-6 landing
site, Earth and planetary science letters (2024). DOI:
10.1016/j.epsl.2024.118737

Magazine information:
Earth and planetary science letters










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