Geological context of the Chang'e-6 landing area and implications for sample analysis

Area of Science:

• Lunar geology and planetary science.
• Geochronology and impact cratering studies.

Background:

• Lunar far-side samples offer unique insights due to differences in crustal thickness, magma activity, and composition compared to the near side.
• China's Chang'e-6 (CE-6) mission successfully landed on the lunar far side, targeting the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin for sample return.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the geological background of the CE-6 landing site within the Apollo crater in the SPA basin.
• To investigate the composition and age of materials, including basalt and potential basement rocks, to understand lunar geological history.

Main Methods:

• Numerical simulations of the SPA basin formation process.
• Crater size-frequency distribution analysis for dating lunar surface materials.

Main Results:

• The CE-6 landing site is located at the edge of the SPA impact melt zone, with a basement possibly composed of impact melt from the lunar mantle.
• Erupted basalt, dated at approximately 2.50 billion years (Ga), covers the basement rocks and is the primary source for CE-6 samples.
• The samples may also contain basement rocks excavated by cratering events.

Conclusions:

• CE-6 samples, comprising basalt and potentially basement rocks, are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the Moon's geological evolution.
• Far-side samples provide essential ground truth data, complementing near-side studies for a complete lunar history.