In a brand new discovering, scientists of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have revealed that the landing site (Shiv Shakti level) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is a promising site to entry primitive mantle samples, which was in any other case missing within the current lunar collections.
The scientists have analysed the concentrations of unstable parts measured at Shiv Shakti station close to the South Polar Region, utilizing the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) onboard the Pragyan rover of the mission.
“A comparison of the APXS measured abundances with the other available data revealed anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium, but enrichment in sulfur in the soils at the highland landing site,” ISRO stated.
This study was printed within the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment.
“The study has revealed potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 Ga ago and redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta,” it added.
It additional stated that the primitive mantle contributed the surplus sulfur, which acquired combined up with the materials on the landing site.
“The low levels of sodium and potassium at the landing site suggests that the KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation,” it stated.
The APXS payload additionally measured abundances of unstable parts, together with sodium, potassium, and sulfur within the highland soils, and reported various concentrations starting from 700-2,800 ppm, 300-400 ppm, and 900-1,400 ppm, respectively
PRL scientists made an in depth evaluation of the abundances of these unstable parts and located the concentrations of sodium and potassium on the Chandrayaan-3 landing site was discovered to be a lot decrease in contrast that discovered within the soil samples from lunar highlands in earlier missions (Apollo 16 and Luna 20), whereas the focus of sulfur was discovered to be 300-500 ppm greater than in soils from Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions.
“The anomalous differences in the concentrations of these volatile elements make it important to investigate the probable source that led to their enrichment or depletion at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site,” ISRO stated.
These findings make the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising place for future missions to gather samples, notably to study the early evolution of the moon.
Published – May 01, 2025 12:28 am IST
