It was thanks to some Chinese scientists. They investigated lunar samples brought back by the Chang’e-5 mission. They determined that a new mineral had appeared on the Moon.
This is the first new mineral discovered on the Moon by China and the sixth by mankind. China is the third country in the world to do so, after the USA and Russia.
Ocean of Storms
The new mineral was named Changesita-(Y). It is a kind of colorless transparent columnar crystal. It was discovered from an analysis of lunar basalt particles. It was studied by the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology.
It was already officially approved as a new mineral. It was confirmed by the New Minerals Commission of the International Mineralogical Association, Xinhua reports.
Li Ziying is a leader of the research team. He said the discovery has great scientific significance for the study of lunar minerals. It helps to understand lunar evolution and deep space exploration.
In 2020, the mission recovered samples from the Moon weighing about 1,731 grams. They were the first lunar samples recovered in more than 40 years. It was done in the northwestern region of Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms.
This site was chosen because the region has a relatively young geologic age. Sampling areas explored by the United States and the former Soviet Union are older.
The institution focuses on fission and fusion element research of lunar samples. They provide basic data for lunar evolution research. They also evaluate lunar resources.
Lunar novelty
The first 50 milligrams of lunar samples were obtained in July 2021. In the mineralogical investigation, they found some traces of something new. But they failed to obtain the ideal data to determine the mineral. The lunar soil particles were extremely small.
The team requested a second batch of lunar samples, which weighed about 15 milligrams. They finally selected a pure single-crystalline particle. It is 10 by 7 by 4 microns in size, less than one-tenth the average diameter of a human hair. The team deciphered its crystal structure. No doubt about it: a new mineral appeared on the Moon.
