Researchers Linked Lunar Volcanism to Mantle Composition
A study published in August 2026 explains why the Moon's near side features significantly more volcanic maria.
Updated on Sept. 24, 2026 in Geology
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Researchers have identified a chemical difference in lunar mantle composition that explains why 93% of the Moon's volcanic maria reside on its near side. Published in August 2026, the study draws on rock samples collected by the Chang'e 5 and Chang'e 6 missions.
Why it matters
Understanding these geochemical variations helps resolve why volcanic activity was distributed unevenly across the lunar surface for billions of years. This finding identifies ilmenite as a critical factor in the thermal history of the Moon.
Near-side mantle materials contain 16-32% ilmenite compared to 13-24% in the far side, which causes the near-side materials to melt at temperatures 20-30 degrees Celsius lower. This compositional difference accounts for the vast majority of lunar maria basalt clustering on the near side.
The players
Chang'e 5
A lunar exploration mission that successfully returned geological samples from the near side of the Moon.
Chang'e 6
A robotic lunar mission that collected and returned the first-ever soil and rock samples from the Moon's far side.
Peking University
A leading Chinese research institution that participated in the geochemical analysis of lunar materials.
Hong Kong University
A research entity involved in the study investigating lunar mantle composition.
Brown University
A research university that contributed expertise to the analysis of lunar volcanic samples.
The details
The research team traced mantle materials that generated magma by comparing far-side basalt samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin with near-side samples. Ilmenite — a titanium-iron oxide mineral — acts as a key flux, lowering the melting point of mantle rocks when present in higher concentrations. This reduced melting temperature facilitated more extensive volcanic activity on the near side of the Moon compared to the far side, where volcanic activity persisted until 2.8 billion years ago.
Timeline
Volcanic activity on the Moon's far side persisted until 2.8 billion years ago.
The research team published their study in August 2026.
The Tech Race
This study advances the geological objectives of the Chang'e lunar exploration program by utilizing unprecedented physical samples from both hemispheres. It marks a significant shift from orbital observation to direct material analysis, refining our understanding of lunar internal thermal evolution.
This finding provides a foundational baseline for future lunar research and site selection for potential landing missions. Scientists and students can use these geochemical benchmarks to analyze how mantle mineralogy influences the geological evolution of planetary bodies.
The takeaway
The concentration of ilmenite in the lunar mantle is the primary driver behind the asymmetric distribution of volcanic maria. Researchers now aim to analyze samples from additional far-side locations to determine if this geochemical trend holds across the entire lunar crust.
Further reading
For more on the latest findings in Earth and planetary sciences, see Geology.
More information
Access the complete findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research study.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 조선일보.
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