China's latest findings from the study of Chang'e-6 lunar far-side samples published in journal Science

A researcher with the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, prepares the lunar samples collected by the Chang'e-6 mission at the institute in Beijing, capital of China, on Feb. 26, 2025. (Photo/Xinhua)

A joint research team organized by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and led by the Ion Probe Center of the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, released new findings from the study of Chang-e 6 lunar far-side samples on Friday. The study shows that the basalt composition in both the far-side and near-side samples was similar. The primary age of the basalt in the study samples is 2.823 billion years, and the characteristics of the source region validate the lunar magma ocean model. The findings also suggest that the impact event responsible for the formation of the South Pole-Aitken Basin may have modified the early lunar mantle.

The study has been published in the latest issue of the journal Science. This achievement provides critical scientific evidence for humanity's research on major scientific issues such as the origin and evolution of the moon, according to a press release the CNSA provided to the Global Times on Friday.

The CNSA said in the release that regarding the origin and evolution of the moon, scientists, previously based on studies of lunar near-side samples, established the lunar magma ocean model. This model suggests that in the early stages of the moon's formation, a global molten event occurred, forming a vast magma ocean. As the magma ocean cooled and crystallized, lower-density minerals rose to form the lunar crust, while higher-density minerals sank to form the mantle. Residual melts enriched in incompatible elements formed a cryptomaterial layer between the crust and mantle.

Via the latest study, the joint team analyzed the Chang'e-6 lunar far-side samples and found a cryptomaterial layer on the far side as well, per the CNSA. The administration explained that the basalt composition in both the far-side and near-side samples was similar, indicating that a global-scale magma ocean likely existed during the early formation of the moon.

Furthermore, the study discovered different evolutionary paths of lead isotopes in the basalts from the far-side and near-side samples, suggesting that different regions of the moon underwent divergent evolutionary processes after the magma ocean crystallized. The impact events on the lunar surface at the scale of basins, especially the South Pole-Aitken Basin impact, may have modified the physical and chemical properties of the lunar mantle.

This research achievement is one of the major outcomes of the preliminary study of the Chang'e-6 lunar samples and marks the first practice of the CNSA's organized lunar sample scientific research.

The CNSA vowed that in the future, it will continue to organize lunar sample research and share China's lunar exploration scientific achievements with the international community.