Chang’e-6 mission finds tiny iron oxide crystals on Moon, challenging long-held assumptions
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Chinese scientists have identified micrometre-sized iron oxide crystals in lunar soil collected by the Chang’e-6 mission.
The minerals — hematite and maghemite — have been detected on the Moon for the first time.
The samples came from the Moon’s South Pole – Aitken (SPA) Basin, one of the oldest and largest impact regions.
The discovery overturns the long-standing belief that the Moon’s extremely reducing environment cannot support the formation of highly oxidised minerals.
Research published in Science Advances states that this is direct evidence of iron oxide on the lunar surface.
The material was found by teams from China’s space agency, Shandong University, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The study shows that oxidised minerals like hematite can exist on the Moon, offering new insights into its chemical environment and magnetic behaviour.
Scientists say hematite may have been produced by major impact events. These impacts create an oxygen-rich vapour atmosphere in certain regions. When the vapour cools, it undergoes “vapour-phase deposition,” forming tiny hematite crystals. The researchers also noted that magnetite and maghemite appear in the intermediate stages. Their magnetic properties may help explain magnetic anomalies near the SPA Basin.
The SPA Basin is the largest and oldest impact zone on any rocky planetary body in the Solar System. Its scale makes it crucial for studying rare geological processes. This discovery was made possible only after Chang’e-6 returned samples from this deep region in 2024.
The findings provide new clues about the Moon’s ancient history, its chemical composition and the effects of large impacts over billions of years. Scientists say it will also help shape future lunar exploration.