China Revealed the Secrets of the Far Side of the Moon

The Moon's mantle could have undergone remelting, Chinese scientists stated after analyzing samples delivered from Earth's natural satellite during the Chang'e-6 mission. This was reported by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

Scientists came to this conclusion when they received and studied regolith samples that were delivered from the south pole region on the far side of the Moon. According to specialists, they contain matter that is uncharacteristic of the normal mantle.

"This suggests that the rocks that formed the ancient lunar mantle originally contained few of these atoms, or that they were re-melted after the impact of an asteroid that created the largest crater on the Moon's surface," the academy stated.

CAS notes that previous research has shown: the mantle could have remelted as a result of a colossal collision approximately 4.25 billion years ago; energy was released exceeding that of a trillion atomic bombs. The impact of this collision on the Moon's geology and its thermal evolution remained one of the most important unresolved questions in planetary science until recently.

However, specialists do not rule out that the unusual matter could have been contained in the lunar mantle originally.