China's Chang'e-6 mission, famous for returning the moon's far side samples, has enabled scientists to precisely date the Apollo Basin—one of the solar system's oldest impact scars—at 4.16 billion years old. This breakthrough sheds light on the Late Heavy Bombardment and the moon's formative years.
In a recent Nature Astronomy study, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry and international partners analyzed three microscopic impact-melt fragments (150–350 micrometers) collected last year in the Apollo Basin, part of the vast South Pole-Aitken Basin. By integrating remote sensing imagery with geochemical fingerprints, they locked in the age of the Apollo Basin formation to 4.16 ± 0.01 billion years.
This new timestamp pushes back the onset of the Late Heavy Bombardment by at least 100 million years. Rather than a sudden spike 3.8–4.0 billion years ago, the evidence points to a gradual decay in asteroid impacts—offering a fresh narrative for lunar and solar system evolution.
Chang'e-6 launched from the Chinese mainland on May 3, 2024, and its returner landed on June 25 with nearly 2 kilograms of lunar rock and dust from the far side. These precious samples are already rewriting lunar science: another study dated the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 4.25 billion years, and forthcoming research will explore volcanic history, the ancient lunar magnetic field, and water content in the lunar mantle.
As data continues to roll in, young global citizens, tech enthusiasts, and space fans can watch as each fragment brings us closer to understanding our cosmic backyard—one tiny crystal at a time.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
