Chinese researchers find 'iron rust' in lunar soils for 1st time

ISTANBUL

Chinese researchers have, for the first time, found traces of "iron rust" in lunar soils retrieved by Chang’e-6, formed by large-scale impact events.

The team identified micrometer-scale crystalline Fe2O3 in the forms of hematite and maghemite in lunar soils, according to the China National Space Administration on Sunday.

This discovery demonstrates the existence of a lunar oxidation reaction mechanism and evidence for the impact origin of the magnetic anomaly surrounding the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

The findings, published in the international multidisciplinary journal, Science Advances, will provide important scientific evidence for subsequent lunar science research, deepening the scientific understanding of the lunar evolutionary history.