Correlated compositional and mineralogical investigations at the Chang′e-3 landing site

• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms9880
• Publication Date: 2015-12-22T16:40:40Z
• Authors: Zongcheng Ling; Bradley L. Jolliff; Alian Wang; Chunlai Li; Jianzhong Liu; Jiang Zhang; Bo Li; Lingzhi Sun; Jian Chen; Long Xiao; Jianjun Liu; Xin Ren; Wenxi Peng; Huanyu Wang; Xingzhu Cui; Zhiping He; Jianyu Wang
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 0103 physical sciences; 01 natural sciences; Article

AbstractThe chemical compositions of relatively young mare lava flows have implications for the late volcanism on the Moon. Here we report the composition of soil along the rim of a 450-m diameter fresh crater at the Chang′e-3 (CE-3) landing site, investigated by the Yutu rover with in situ APXS (Active Particle-induced X-ray Spectrometer) and VNIS (Visible and Near-infrared Imaging Spectrometer) measurements. Results indicate that this region's composition differs from other mare sample-return sites and is a new type of mare basalt not previously sampled, but consistent with remote sensing. The CE-3 regolith derived from olivine-normative basaltic rocks with high FeO/(FeO+MgO). Deconvolution of the VNIS data indicates abundant high-Ca ferropyroxene (augite and pigeonite) plus Fe-rich olivine. We infer from the regolith composition that the basaltic source rocks formed during late-stage magma-ocean differentiation when dense ferropyroxene-ilmenite cumulates sank and mixed with deeper, relatively ferroan olivine and orthopyroxene in a hybridized mantle source.