Analysis of a sample of lunar dust brought to Earth by astronauts of the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 revealed that the Moon is older than previously estimated. This discovery was published in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters last Monday (23).
The lunar collection contains tiny zircon crystals that formed billions of years ago. According to Philipp Heck, professor at the University of Chicago, USA, and senior author of the study, these crystals are used as a reference for lunar chronology due to their known age.
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The research indicates that the natural satellite is approximately 40 million years older than previously calculated, totaling around 4.46 billion years.
During this period, when the Solar System was still in its initial phase and the Earth was in the process of formation, an object of large proportions, compared to the size of Mars, collided with ours planet.
As a result of the impact, the energy generated caused terrestrial rocks to be launched into space, subsequently generating the lunar star.
Heck explains that during the period of intense heat following the incidents, zircon crystals were unable to form and survive on the lunar surface.
Therefore, such components found on the Moon must have originated after the cooling of this ocean of lunar magma, otherwise they were melted and their chemical characteristics were erased.
(Image: disclosure)
The researchers used atomic probe tomography, an analytical technique that had never been used before to determine the age of the oldest known lunar crystal.
To accomplish this, the process began with sharpening one end of the lunar sample through focused ion detailing, similar to a pencil sharpener.
Then, a team applied ultraviolet lasers to evaporate atoms from the surface of the sharp sample.
The atoms passed through a mass spectrometer, which measured their speeds, providing information about their masses and, consequently, their composition. Thus, the scientists determined the age of the oldest lunar crystal more accurately.
The detailed analysis of carbon atoms was conducted with equipment at Northwestern University, in the United States.
During the investigation, the researchers determined how many atoms in the zircon crystals were produced in the past by radioactive decay, which involves the transformation of a chemical element into other.
Based on this process, they established the time required for radioactive decay and, by analyzing the proportion of different isotopes of uranium and lead in the sample, they were able to estimate the age of this sample.
The list of lead isotopes indicated by the researchers suggested that the sample was approximately 4.46 billion years old, which, in turn, indicates that the Moon is at least that old.
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