Returned samples indicate volcanism on the Moon 120 million years ago

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Wang, Bi-Wen; Zhang, Qian W. L.; Chen, Yi; Zhao, Wenhao; Liu, Yu; Tang, Guo-Qiang; Ma, Hong-Xia; Su, Bin; Hui, Hejiu; Delano, John W.; Wu, Fu-Yuan; Li, Xian-Hua; He, Yuyang; Li, Qiu-Li
• 署名单位: Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Geology & Geophysics, CAS; Chinese Academy of Sciences; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAS; Nanjing University; Chinese Academy of Sciences; Institute of Geology & Geophysics, CAS; State University of New York (SUNY) System; University at Albany, SUNY
• 刊物名称: SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0036-10567
• DOI: 10.1126/science.adk6635
• 发表日期: 2024-09-06
• 页码: 1077-1080
• 关键词: light-element geochemistry; lunar impact glasses; isotope ratios; 40ar/39ar ages; pb; sulfur; systematics; magmatism; insights; regolith

摘要

There is extensive geologic evidence of ancient volcanic activity on the Moon, but it is unclear how long that volcanism persisted. Magma fountains produce volcanic glasses, which have previously been found in samples of the Moon's surface. We investigated similar to 3000 glass beads in lunar soil samples collected by the Chang'e-5 mission and identified three as having a volcanic origin on the basis of their textures, chemical compositions, and sulfur isotopes. Uranium-lead dating of the three volcanic glass beads shows that they formed 123 +/- 15 million years ago. We measured high abundances of rare earth elements and thorium in these volcanic glass beads, which could indicate that such recent volcanism was related to local enrichment of heat-generating elements in the mantle sources of the magma.