Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon
The analyses of returned samples and data from in situ and remote sensing observations have substantially advanced our understanding of the lunar internal structure since the Apollo era. Previous studies have confirmed that the Moon resembles a terrestrial planet with a layered core–mantle–crust str...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Space: Science & Technology |
| Online Access: | https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/space.0213 |
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| author | Yuantao Gu Hejiu Hui Yun Liu Chi Zhang Jinhai Zhang Tao Wang Nan Zhang Lin Xu Yangting Lin |
| author_facet | Yuantao Gu Hejiu Hui Yun Liu Chi Zhang Jinhai Zhang Tao Wang Nan Zhang Lin Xu Yangting Lin |
| author_sort | Yuantao Gu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The analyses of returned samples and data from in situ and remote sensing observations have substantially advanced our understanding of the lunar internal structure since the Apollo era. Previous studies have confirmed that the Moon resembles a terrestrial planet with a layered core–mantle–crust structure, which formed in the early lunar differentiation initialized by a magma ocean. The important results on the early differentiation of the Moon derived from the ongoing analyses of lunar samples and geophysical data, and experimental studies with different initial conditions, are reviewed in this study. The outstanding problems in the early lunar differentiation, including the formation of the lunar anorthositic crust, the origin of lunar dichotomy, lunar mantle convection, the lunar interior interface, and the chronology of early differentiation, are highlighted and summarized. These unsolved questions may provide research directions for future studies of early differentiation of the Moon. The upcoming lunar exploration missions will return new samples and geophysical data. Comprehensive analyses of the returned samples and the geophysical data (seismology, gravity and topography, and crustal magnetic field), coupled with experimental studies, could provide important results to answer the unsolved questions and constrain the early lunar differentiation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-902a8b96184943f9bc2ccd2c612eb9e7 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2692-7659 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Space: Science & Technology |
| spelling | doaj-art-902a8b96184943f9bc2ccd2c612eb9e72025-08-20T03:08:59ZengAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)Space: Science & Technology2692-76592025-01-01510.34133/space.0213Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the MoonYuantao Gu0Hejiu Hui1Yun Liu2Chi Zhang3Jinhai Zhang4Tao Wang5Nan Zhang6Lin Xu7Yangting Lin8School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.State Key Laboratory of Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.State Key Laboratory of Ore Deposit Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang 550081, China.Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.State Key Laboratory of Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China.Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.State Key Laboratory of Space Weather, National Space Science Center, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China.The analyses of returned samples and data from in situ and remote sensing observations have substantially advanced our understanding of the lunar internal structure since the Apollo era. Previous studies have confirmed that the Moon resembles a terrestrial planet with a layered core–mantle–crust structure, which formed in the early lunar differentiation initialized by a magma ocean. The important results on the early differentiation of the Moon derived from the ongoing analyses of lunar samples and geophysical data, and experimental studies with different initial conditions, are reviewed in this study. The outstanding problems in the early lunar differentiation, including the formation of the lunar anorthositic crust, the origin of lunar dichotomy, lunar mantle convection, the lunar interior interface, and the chronology of early differentiation, are highlighted and summarized. These unsolved questions may provide research directions for future studies of early differentiation of the Moon. The upcoming lunar exploration missions will return new samples and geophysical data. Comprehensive analyses of the returned samples and the geophysical data (seismology, gravity and topography, and crustal magnetic field), coupled with experimental studies, could provide important results to answer the unsolved questions and constrain the early lunar differentiation.https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/space.0213 |
| spellingShingle | Yuantao Gu Hejiu Hui Yun Liu Chi Zhang Jinhai Zhang Tao Wang Nan Zhang Lin Xu Yangting Lin Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon Space: Science & Technology |
| title | Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon |
| title_full | Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon |
| title_fullStr | Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon |
| title_full_unstemmed | Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon |
| title_short | Some Unsolved Questions about the Early Differentiation of the Moon |
| title_sort | some unsolved questions about the early differentiation of the moon |
| url | https://spj.science.org/doi/10.34133/space.0213 |
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