The billion-year gap in the Moon's past could be filled with this stone

NEWS CENTER

Created: July 17, 2025 11:08

The age of this meteorite fills a particularly striking gap. Previous lunar samples collected by the Apollo, Luna, and Chang'e 6 missions are quite old, while the material returned by China's Chang'e 5 mission is relatively recent. However, this new meteorite bridges the gap of approximately 1 billion years between these two periods, proving that lunar volcanism has persisted for a much longer period.

According to the researchers, this indicates that the Moon was able to maintain its internal heat for much longer periods, resulting in volcanic activity at different periods over billions of years.

THE STORY OF A LAVA COMING FROM THE DEEP

Weighing just 311 grams, the rock is a type of volcanic basalt called "olivine phyritic basalt." It contains large olivine crystals . Chemical analysis has shown that the rock has moderate levels of titanium, high potassium, and an unusually high uranium-to-lead ratio. This unique composition suggests that the rock formed from a lava flow deep within the Moon.

Scientists say that these lavas likely derive their energy from radioactive elements that decay over a long period of time, and that this process has sustained internal heat production on the Moon for billions of years.

"This sample was discovered by chance," Dr. Joshua Snape, a researcher at the University of Manchester, told Sciencealert. "It could have been ejected from anywhere on the Moon. Unlike space missions, meteorites offer the potential to provide information about different regions and are quite economical."

The meteorite that fell on Earth carries the secrets of the moon

This meteorite's descent to Earth wasn't as quiet as one might expect. Pockets of molten glass and veins on its surface suggest it was ejected by a large impact on the Moon. While such impacts make it difficult to determine the rock's age, scientists have estimated it to be within 80 million years.

This special meteorite opens new doors to the unknown history of the Moon, while also reminding us that scientific discoveries can sometimes be made not only through billion-dollar space missions but also through rocks falling from the sky.