APEX this week: Dr Yang Li discusses his research of Chang’E 6 lunar far-side samples

Our Astrobiology and Planetary Exploration (APEX) seminar this Friday 7th February at 13:00 GMT, features the following talk:

• Yang Li (Peking University / UCL): Petrogenesis of the Chang’E 6 basalt and implications for mantle evolution

An abstract for Dr Li's talk can be found below.

Please note the day and location for APEX this term: Fridays at lunchtime, 1-2 pm GMT, in the G22 Lecture Theatre on the ground floor of the UCL North West Wing building.

A hybrid (in-person and online) format will continue this term but, of course, we warmly encourage in-person attendance to support our visiting speakers.

Details of the forthcoming APEX programme can be found at the link below. The latest information will be advertised in advance of each meeting.  If you are not on our regular mailing lists and are interested in attending these seminars, please contact joanna.fabbri AT ucl.ac.uk.

Talk abstract

Petrogenesis of the Chang’E 6 basalt and implications for mantle evolution - Yang Li (Peking University/UCL)

The stark contrast between the Moon's nearside and farside in topography, volcanic activity, and crustal structure holds key insights into its formation and evolution. The Chinese Chang’e 6 mission (CE6) has returned the first rock samples from the farside, specifically from the South Pole-Aitken Basin— the largest and oldest lunar impact basin with the thinnest lunar crust (~5 km)—offering a unique glimpse into the thermal history and volcanic processes of this unexplored region. The CE6 basalt clasts are dated at 2.81 ± 0.04 billion years ago (Ga), originating from a pyroxene dominated mantle at depth of >150 km at ~1200 ℃ without direct involvement of heat-producing elements. Iron-magnesium diffusion in clinopyroxene indicates magma residence and ascent timescales on the order of a few years. Though these basalts are 0.8 Ga older than those retrieved by Chang’e-5 from the nearside, they exhibit comparable timescales of magmatic processes, reflecting a cooler thermal regime. A lack of upwelled deep mantle olivine in CE6 samples and a low-Ca pyroxene dominated upper mantle inferred from CE6 basalts dated at 2.81 Ga are consistent with remote sensing observations, and are best explained by a limited mantle overturn model.

Links 

• Dr Yang Li's academic profile
• APEX programme for this term 
• Recordings of previous APEX talks