The Moon had more water in its early stages than expected

Research conducted by scientists in the US, UK, Canada, and Sweden has revealed that the early forms of the Moon's crust contained more water than previously thought.

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The Moon had more water in its early stages than expected

According to a report on the Western University website, researchers discovered that there was more water in the Moon's crust 4 billion years ago, a finding that changes general assumptions about the presence of water in the lunar crust.

Cosmochemist Tara Hayden, working with planetary geologist Gordon Osinski from Western University's Department of Earth Sciences, identified the presence of apatite, known as the most common phosphate mineral, in the early forms of the Moon's crust for the first time.

UNDERSTANDING THE OLDEST WATER IN THE LUNAR CRUST IS IMPORTANT FOR UNDERSTANDING THE SOLAR SYSTEM

The finding obtained from apatite in the Moon's primordial crust shows that there was much more water in the crust when the Moon first formed than scientists had assumed, while also shedding new light on the years of the Moon's formation.

Cosmochemist Hayden stated that the discovery of apatite in the Moon's early crust was incredibly exciting, saying, "This allows us to piece together parts of a previously unknown stage of lunar history and reveals that the early stages of the Moon were richer in water than we expected."

Hayden noted that early crust forms open new pages in the formation of the Moon and move what is known about Earth's satellite beyond the data collected during the Apollo missions. Upcoming Artemis missions are expected to bring back more samples.

Professor Mahesh Anand from the Open University in the UK said, "Understanding the history of water in the oldest lunar crust is crucial for improving our ideas about the origin of water in the Solar System."

The research was published in the journal "Nature Astronomy".

News Source: AA