The Chinese Chang’e-6 station has collected lunar soil from a site where the oldest rocks on the Moon (over 4.4 billion years old) have been found. These samples are helping scientists better understand the origin of not only the Moon, but also the Earth. The landing site is located in an ancient impact basin that formed about 4 billion years ago, said Evgeniy Slyuta of the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry (GEOKHI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
The ancient rocks of the lunar crust preserved there provide unique information because they were destroyed by geological processes long ago on Earth. In addition to ancient crustal rocks, rocks from the upper mantle of the Moon, thrown onto the surface during the formation of impact basins, were also discovered. The lunar regolith has a complex layered structure, and each piece contains rare rocks found in the environment.
Chang’e-6 station not only collected samples from the surface, but also drilled a hole more than a meter deep, making it possible to obtain a layered regolith core. This sampling method is one of the most valuable methods for science. Landing on the far side of the Moon and successfully returning samples to Earth is a remarkable achievement that highlights China’s leadership in this field. Successful missions demonstrate the high technology and capabilities of Chinese scientists and engineers.
Source: Ferra
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