- Rust in the form of haematite has been detected on the Moon’s surface, especially at the poles
- Haematite formation on the Moon requires oxygen and water, which are scarce on the lunar surface
- Earth’s atmosphere transports oxygen to the Moon via charged particles called Earth wind
Something bad is happening to Moon, and Earth is responsible for that. The researchers have detected hematite, a form of iron oxide commonly known as rust, on the Moon's surface, particularly at the poles. Scientists were surprised to notice that the Moon is rusting, a process that typically requires oxygen and water, both of which are scarce on the lunar body.
According to Nature's report, Ziliang Jin, a planetary scientist at Macau University of Science and Technology in China, said that the findings help in understanding Earth's deep link to the Moon. Ziliang and his colleagues reported their findings earlier this month in Geophysical Research Letters.
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The scientists believe oxygen from Earth's atmosphere is transported to the Moon. Notably, charged particles from the Sun reach Earth and the Moon most of the time. Most of the solar particles are blocked when Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon for around five days each month. It is the time when the Moon is exposed mainly to particles that had been part of Earth's atmosphere, which is called Earth wind.
As per an explanation by Sky At Night Magazine, Earth's magnetotail blocks solar winds, reducing the effect and allowing oxidation to occur during certain lunar phases.
The researcher tested that idea in the laboratory, with the help of an Earth wind simulation. They accelerated hydrogen and oxygen ions to high energies and sent the ions into single crystals of iron-rich minerals, which are present on the Moon.
Some of the crystals changed into haematite when scientists pelted the minerals with high-energy oxygen. As per the report, pelting the haematite with hydrogen caused some of it to revert to iron.
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"This is a great experiment," says Shuai Li, a planetary scientist at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, who led the team that made the 2020 discovery.
Scientists in 2020 reported that India's Chandrayaan-1 mission had spotted haematite near the Moon's poles. Notably, understanding of rusting could impact future lunar missions, resource utilisation and equipment design.
"Our findings offer a practicable explanation for the formation and distribution of lunar hematite," the researchers wrote in the study, titled 'Earth wind-driven formation of hematite on the lunar surface'.
"These findings provide valuable insights into the widespread distribution of lunar hematite and indicate a long-term material exchange between Earth and the Moon."
