According to a new survey that focuses on the presence of water in lunar rocks, the water on our planet and on its natural satellite may have the same origin.
If the scientists' finding is verified, it will be a strong argument in favor of the theory of the formation of the Moon from material which belonged to the primordial Earth and was detached due to some giantess conflicts in the early years of the Solar System.
The extensive access of scientists to lunar rocks is due to the space missions on the Moon (manned and not), from which hundreds of valuable pounds of soil and rock samples were collected.
To date, most research has focused on the water content of relatively newer lunar rocks from the Moon's mantle. Instead, the new research focused on samples from elevated areas on the lunar surface that had been collected by Apollo 17 astronauts. processes within it.
Τα ηφαιστειογενή αυτά πετρώματα περιέχουν ποσότητες απατίτη, ενός ορυκτού πλούσιου σε hydrogen που υποδεικνύει την ύπαρξη νερού στο παρελθόν της Σελήνης, ενώ ανίχνευσαν και την ύπαρξη ποσοτήτων νερού στην κρυσταλλική τους δομή. Χρησιμοποιώντας εξελιγμένες τεχνικές, μέτρησαν την ισοτοπική σύνθεση του υδρογόνου και του νερού στα δείγματα, με άλλα λόγια ένα είδος signature signature of the specific molecules, allowing them to compare them with other molecules in different celestial bodies.
According to researchers, The signatures which they discovered in the lunar rocks are identical to others discovered in meteorites on Earth, which may mean that the Moon's water can be transported with meteorites. But as the same molecular signatures are also found in the mantle of our planet, the water inside and the moon's water may have a common origin.
To draw safer conclusions about the past of the two bodies and their formation, a more accurate timeline of the time the meteorites bombarded them with water would be needed.
The research is published in the scientific journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
