Petrogenesis of Very‐Low‐Ti Basalts Returned by Chang'e‐6 From the Lunar Farside

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Abstract
Lunar volcanism provides critical insights into the Moon's thermochemical evolution. We present petrological and geochemical analyses of six very‐low‐Ti (VLT) basalt fragments from Chang'e‐6 (CE6) samples. These basalts yield a Pb‐Pb age of around 2.9 Ga, representing the youngest reported VLT volcanism. They are slightly older than the low‐Ti basalts from the same soils and exhibit distinct pyroxene compositions and 238 U/ 204 Pb ratios, indicating derivation from distinct mantle sources. Compared to Apollo and Luna VLT basalts, these samples share similarly depleted Sr‐Pb isotopes but display elevated rare earth element concentrations and TiO 2 contents. These basalts most likely derived from low‐degree melting of an olivine‐orthopyroxene source followed by 30%–40% fractional crystallization. Further diffusion chronometry reveals rapid magma ascent from magma chamber to surface, likely facilitated by the thin lunar crust resulting from the South Pole‐Aitken basin‐forming impact. Our results provide new insights into the petrogenesis of volcanic activity on the lunar farside.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (42422301)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (42441818)
  • Youth Innovation Promotion Association (2022064)

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