It is reported that Chinese scientists have discovered two previously unknown minerals in samples collected from the Moon.
“Elchi” reports that, according to the Global Times newspaper, the discovery of the minerals was announced at the opening ceremony of the 11th China Space Day held in Chengdu, Sichuan province.
The phosphate minerals found in rock and soil samples collected by the “Chang’e-5” rover have been named “magnesiochangisite-(Y)” and “changisite-(Ce)”.
These minerals, which belong to the rare earth phosphate category, have been classified and approved by the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification.
China’s second and third lunar mineral discovery
These two minerals are the second and third minerals discovered by China in rock and soil samples collected from the Moon. Chinese scientists previously reported the discovery of a phosphate mineral they named “changisite-(Y)” in lunar samples in September 2022.
With these new discoveries, the number of minerals discovered on the Moon to date has reached eight. Before China, the USA and Russia pioneered mineral exploration by collecting rock and soil samples from the lunar surface. China sent its first rover, Chang’e-5, which aimed to collect rock and soil samples from the lunar surface, to the Moon in November 2020, and the rover returned to Earth in December 2020 with 1.73 kilograms of rock and soil samples.
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