A research team led by Prof. XU Yigang and Prof. LIN Mang from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, has identified seven olivine-bearing clasts from two grams of lunar regolith brought back by the Chang'e-6 mission. Findings published on October 20 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences confirm these clasts are remnants of CI-like chondrites, crystallized rapidly from melt droplets formed by the impact of CI chondrites on the lunar surface. Their work introduces an integrated approach for detecting meteoritic materials in extraterrestrial samples.
The CI chondrite parent bodies originally formed in the outer solar system and migrated inward while planets were being assembled. This discovery provides evidence that such materials ultimately reached the Earth-Moon system. Statistical assessment suggests the Moon contains a much higher proportion of CI chondrites than present in Earth's meteorite archives, indicating their contribution has been significantly underestimated.
Because CI chondrites contain abundant water and organic matter, this study also has major implications for understanding lunar water origins. Researchers propose that water with positive d18O and ?17O signatures previously found in lunar samples likely stems from CI chondrite impacts.
These results reframe our understanding of solar system material migration and open new avenues for the study of lunar water resources and their origins.
Research Report:Impactor relics of CI-like chondrites in Chang'e-6 lunar samples
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