New Evidence of Lunar Water Imbalance Suggests Collision History: What It Means for the Moon’s Future

The distribution of water on the Moon is quite surprising. Recent studies reveal that the far side of the Moon, which faces away from Earth, has less water compared to the side that we see. This finding comes from lunar samples collected during China’s Chang’e-6 mission.

The surface of the Moon is very different on each side. The near side, the one we see from Earth, has flat areas called the lunar maria, which were formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago. In contrast, the far side is heavily cratered and lacks these smooth plains, leading scientists to wonder what caused this difference.

According to researchers like Huicun He and Linxi Li from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, understanding the water in the Moon’s interior helps us learn more about how the Moon formed. They state that “the new estimate for the lunar farside mantle represents a landmark for estimating the water abundance of the bulk silicate Moon.” This means finding out how much water is on the Moon could shed light on its origins and evolution.

The leading theory suggests that the Moon formed from debris resulting from a massive collision between the early Earth and a Mars-sized object named Theia over 4.5 billion years ago. The impact sent rock and other materials into orbit, which eventually came together to form the Moon.

When the Moon first formed, it was still molten, allowing lava flows to create the maria that we see on the near side. However, there’s far less evidence of such volcanic activity on the far side, leading to theories about why this difference exists. One idea is that the crust on the near side is thinner and kept warmer by Earth’s heat, allowing more lava to flow and create the maria.

Recent measurements show that water distribution on the Moon isn’t uniform; it can vary widely, with some areas having up to 200 micrograms of water per gram of lunar rock, while others have much less. For instance, the minerals collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side demonstrated a very low water content, with only 1 to 1.5 micrograms per gram. This finding supports the theory that the Moon’s surface may have been affected by the giant impact, altering its chemistry.

Scientists suspect that the colossal impact that created the South Pole-Aitken Basin could have pushed some water-rich material toward the near side of the Moon. But it’s important to note that this is only one sample. Other areas on the far side might have different moisture levels that we haven’t yet examined.

As we learn more about the Moon, new missions and studies are essential. The Chang’e-6 findings indicate a lot about lunar development, but there’s still so much to uncover. Our exploration of the Moon is just beginning, and future missions might reveal even more about its hidden secrets.

The research detailing these findings is published in Nature, and it opens up exciting possibilities for understanding our celestial neighbor.

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