IT'S HAPPENING! China's New Moon Discovery CONFIRMS What WE ALL FEARED
New China discovery on the Moon! It’s common to see Chinese scientists doing space missions, and this one is also important to reinforce an already existing theory. China did a special mission called Chang’e 6 on a hidden part of the Moon, the one we can’t see from Earth. Scientists brought some valuable lunar rocks, almost 4.4 pounds of lunar dust and stones.
These samples were very useful for China University of Geosciences to strengthen the theory of the Moon’s surface being covered by a magma ocean. So, let’s see what this Chinese discovery was really all about!
China mission: Chang’e 6
Chang’e 6 was a space mission launched by China in May of 2024 and it finished in June of the same year. For one month, Chinese scientists were able to take Moon samples from a side of the Moon we can’t reach to see from our planet, properly speaking, they got 4.4 pounds of lunar dust and rocks. This mission is the only one that has collected samples from this part of the Moon, so it’s really important for space studies.
The finding
The China University of Geosciences analyzed the unique samples and they found volcanic rocks called basalt from a long time ago, between 2.8 and 4.2 billion years ago. The striking thing about this discovery wasn’t the basalt rock itself, it was where they were found. Similar rocks were found on the visible part of the Moon, which led scientists to think the hidden part of the Moon also had volcanic activity in the past – something unthinkable before this finding.
What’s more, the samples contained a special material called KREEP formed by potassium, rara earth and phosphorus, which indicates the magma the Moon made was cooled in the same way in both parts of the Moon. What does this mean? It reinforces the theory of the Moon being covered by a magma ocean in its early days.
