A sample of the Moon’s far side retrieved by Chang’e-6 contains 2.83-billion-year-old basalt
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt1093
The Chang’e-6 mission brought back a groundbreaking discovery from the Moon’s far side: a 2.83-billion-year-old basalt sample. This study reveals that volcanic activity persisted on the lunar farside later than previously thought. Unlike the nearside, which has abundances of potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus (KREEP) in its mantle linked to prolonged volcanism, the farside’s volcanic materials show no trace of KREEP components. The Chang’e-6 basalt sample provides critical insights into the Moon’s crustal evolution and the stark differences between its hemispheres. The findings challenge existing theories about how heat sources influenced lunar volcanism and open new questions about the Moon’s history.
