Chinese Academy of Sciences Finds γ-Fe in 2 Chang’e-6 Lunar Glass Samples
Updated
Updated · ScienceDaily · Oct 3
Chinese Academy of Sciences Finds γ-Fe in 2 Chang’e-6 Lunar Glass Samples
2 articles · Updated · ScienceDaily · Oct 3
Summary
Researchers analyzing Chang’e-6 soil identified face-centered cubic γ-Fe in natural lunar material for the first time, with the phase dominating iron particles in two impact-glass samples.
Nanoscale γ-Fe was embedded in impact glass and, despite usually being stable only at high temperatures, appears to have been preserved by rapid impact cooling, trace elements and the surrounding glass matrix.
Electron holography showed larger γ-Fe nanoparticles can hold a stable single-vortex magnetic state and keep a consistent response under an external field, making them potential recorders of ancient lunar magnetism.
The finding adds a new magnetic mineral to lunar samples and could help scientists separate magnetic signals from different stages of impact events to reconstruct how the Moon’s long-lost field evolved.