A team of Chinese scientists studying lunar soil samples brought to Earth by the Chang’e-5 automatic interplanetary station found signs of volcanic lava eruptions in them. This was announced by the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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It is noted that experts have found geological evidence of the presence of several layers of volcanic lava. Uranium, thorium and potassium were also found in soil samples.
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Chinese scientists have estimated the thickness of basalt rocks in the landing area of Chang’e-5. It turned out that there were at least four magmatic eruptions with an average thickness of 230 meters, 70 meters, 4 meters and 36 meters. It was also found that the rate of basalt eruption in the area increased significantly about two billion years ago.
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Recall that on December 16, 2020, the Chang’e-5 apparatus delivered soil samples to Earth – 1731 grams – from the surface of the Moon in the region of the Ocean of Storms. China became the first country in the last 44 years (after the Soviet “Luna-24” in 1976) to implement a project to transport geological samples from the surface of the Moon, and the third country after the USA and the USSR, which managed to carry out such a task.
