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Persistent but weak magnetic field at the Moon's midstage revealed by Chang'e-5 basalt
Shuhui Cai1,2, Huafeng Qin1,2, Huapei Wang3
1State Key Laboratory of Lithospheric and Environmental Coevolution, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.
Science Advances
|January 1, 2025
Summary
The lunar dynamo persisted until at least 2 billion years ago, as evidenced by paleointensity data from Chang
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Lunar Science
- Paleomagnetism
Background:
- The Moon's magnetic field evolution offers insights into its interior structure and thermal history.
- The existence of a long-lived lunar dynamo is debated due to poorly constrained mid-to-late-stage magnetic field data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the longevity of the lunar dynamo using samples from the Chang'e-5 mission.
- To constrain the mid-to-late-stage evolution of the lunar magnetic field.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of paleointensities from Chang'e-5 mare basalt clasts.
- Dating of returned lunar samples to approximately 2 billion years ago.
Main Results:
- Weak paleointensities of ~2 to 4 microtesla were recovered from 2-billion-year-old Chang'e-5 basalts.
- These findings indicate the lunar dynamo was active until at least the Moon's midstage.
Conclusions:
- The lunar dynamo persisted longer than previously thought, extending into the Moon's midstage.
- This longevity suggests thermal convection in the lunar deep interior, potentially fueling volcanism.
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