Discovery Rewrites the Moon’s Water History… The Secret in ‘Apatite’
A study conducted by the University of Western Britain revealed that the early lunar crust, more than 4 billion years ago, contained more water than previously believed.
This discovery, published in the journal “Nature Astronomy,” relied on the study of the mineral “apatite” found in a lunar meteorite, indicating a richer lunar water history.
Tara Hayden, from the Open University in the United Kingdom and the lead researcher of the study, says, “The discovery of apatite in the early lunar crust for the first time is incredibly exciting, as we can finally rely on this mineral to begin piecing together this unknown phase of the moon’s history. We found that the early lunar crust was richer in water than we expected.”
Apatite is a mineral that contains volatile elements within its structure, and by finding it in a lunar meteorite, scientists can gain insightful information about the presence and distribution of volatile elements, including water, on the moon. This result indicates a more complex lunar evolution surpassing what was known from Apollo samples, initially assumed to be “volatile poor,” leading to the widely known description of the moon as “completely dry.” In 2008, researchers discovered significant amounts of water and other volatile materials in glass beads from the Apollo sample set. This led to fifteen years of reanalyzing Apollo samples. Meanwhile, recently discovered lunar meteorites studied in the new research reveal that the moon contains more water on its surface.
Hayden explains that the research results will have implications for future Artemis missions, potentially affecting moon exploration and resource extraction possibilities.
The study calls for a reassessment of the availability of water on the moon and suggests that there may be more water on the moon’s surface than previously thought.
