Chinese scientists have found signs of iron rust caused by meteorite impacts in rock and soil samples collected by the "Chang'e 6" rover from the Moon's far side.
Researchers from Shandong University, the Institute of Geochemistry at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Yunnan University reported in Science Advances that the rover discovered microscopic hematite (α-Fe2O3) and maghemite crystals in samples taken from the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin.
They noted that these crystals formed not through the usual iron-oxygen interaction on Earth, but via contact with volatile oxygen released from iron sulfide in meteorites upon impact.
The presence of these magnetically active crystals could help explain magnetic anomalies in the lunar polar region and provide a scientific basis for future Moon studies.
Previously, the Chang'e 6 mission had also identified carbonaceous chondrite elements in its samples, which are rich in water and organic materials and originate from outside the Solar System.
Launched on May 3, 2024, Chang'e 6 landed in the Apollo Crater of the South Pole-Aitken Basin on June 2, 2024, and returned to Earth with lunar samples on June 25, 2024. This made China the first country to collect samples from the Moon's far side.
