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Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
GUANGZHOU, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) — Scientists studying lunar samples returned to Earth by China's Chang'e-6 mission have identified rare meteorite relics that could change our understanding of mass transport in the solar system.
The study, published in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was led by a research team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry (GIG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
CI-type chondrites are so rare on Earth that they account for less than one percent of all collected meteorites. Unlike Earth, the Moon has virtually no atmosphere and plate tectonics, meaning it preserves a pristine record of ancient asteroid impacts—like a "natural archive."
Using advanced methods for studying mineral composition and oxygen isotopes, the researchers carefully examined the lunar soil and confirmed that the fragments originated from CI-like chondrites – a type of meteorite rich in water and organic materials that typically originate from the outer solar system.
The study suggests that the Earth-Moon system may have experienced more carbonaceous chondrite impacts than scientists previously thought.
This discovery not only indicates that material from the outer solar system can migrate to the inner solar system, but also has important implications for explaining the origin of water on the lunar surface, said GIG researcher Lin Man.
He added that this also opens new avenues for future research into the distribution and evolution of lunar water resources.
In addition, the study systematically established methods for identifying meteoritic material in samples of extraterrestrial origin.
In 2024, the Chang'e-6 probe made history by returning 1,935.3 grams of samples from the far side of the Moon to Earth. These samples were collected from the South Pole-Aitken basin, the largest, deepest, and oldest basin on the Moon.
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