Non-KREEP origin for Chang'e-5 basalts in the Procellarum KREEP Terrane.

ABSTRACT: Mare volcanics on the Moon are the key record of thermo-chemical evolution throughout most of lunar history^1-3. Young mare basalts-mainly distributed in a region rich in potassium, rare-earth elements and phosphorus (KREEP) in Oceanus Procellarum, called the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT)⁴-were thought to be formed from KREEP-rich sources at depth^5-7. However, this hypothesis has not been tested with young basalts from the PKT. Here we present a petrological and geochemical study of the basalt clasts from the PKT returned by the Chang'e-5 mission⁸. These two-billion-year-old basalts are the youngest lunar samples reported so far⁹. Bulk rock compositions have moderate titanium and high iron contents  with KREEP-like rare-earth-element

SUBMITTER: Tian HC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8636255 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature