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Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials on Chandrayaan-3 landing site: Study
A new study by the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad, has found the potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials, which is likely to have been formed during the formation of the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin 4.3 billion years ago, at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site. SPA basin is one of the Moon's largest and oldest impact features in the solar system. The Chandrayaan-3 landing site is located 350kms from the basin. Researchers said the findings, published in Nature Communications Earth and Environment on Wednesday, could aid in the study of the early evolution of the Moon. Analysing the concentrations of volatiles (chemical elements and compounds) measured by the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), an instrument on-board the Pragyan rover at Shiv Shakti statio near the South Polar Region, the 12-member team found high levels of sulphur at the Chandrayaan-3 highland landing site in the range of 900-1400 ppm, which was 300-500 ppm (parts per million) higher than in soil samples from lunar highlands from in Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions. However, the levels of sodium and potassium from the Chandrayaan-3 landing site was found to be much lower at 700-2800ppm and 300-400 ppm respectively as compared to the earlier missions. The APXS experiment was designed and developed by PRL, a unit of the department of space. Researchers said the differences in the concentrations of these volatile elements as compared to those found in Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions make it important to investigate the probable source that led to their enrichment or depletion at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site. Explaining how the team arrived at the present conclusion, Rishitosh K Sinha, lead author of the study said that on the Moon, around 400-1000 ppm of sulphur can come from Type I carbonaceous chondrite (CC) meteorites crashing on the lunar surface. 'However, this is still less by 200-400 ppm than what APXS measured at the landing site. Moreover, the surface temperatures at the landing site, which is located at 70 degrees south in the Southern Polar region, is much higher for sulphur to condense in the plume as compared to if the site was closer (85-90 degrees) to the South Pole,' said Sinha. Closer to the South Pole, where surface temperatures are lower, sulphur can condense into solid form. Therefore, said Sinha, there had to be another source of sulphur that increased its concentration at the landing site. 'The other possible source for excess sulphur therefore would be the primitive lunar mantle material that would have thrown up during the SPA basin formation.' He further explained that the low levels of sodium and potassium at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site as opposed to the Apollo 16 and Luna 20 missions suggests that potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus (called KREEP) might not have existed at the place and time of SPA basin formation. 'This new finding therefore makes the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising site to access primitive mantle samples, which is otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections,' said Sinha. Sinha said during the end of the lunar magma ocean (LMO) crystallisation stages, when the Moon's initial molten state solidified, the residual molten layer became enriched in a mineral called Troilite (FeS). 'We have proposed that the SPA basin impact event excavated this FeS from the sulphur-enriched primitive lunar mantle, while the KREEP layer was still in the process of formation. The subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta stirred things up, mixing sulfur-rich materials from the SPA basin with the nearby material at the landing site,' he said. On August 23, 2023, the Chandrayaan-3 mission made the first successful landing in the South Polar region of the Moon following which APXS directly measured the elemental composition of the Moon's surface at Shiv Shakti statio, an unexplored location, in the southern high-latitude highlands of the nearside of the Moon. Last year, a study published in Nature by the same group had found evidence of high magnesium in the soil at the same landing site that could have originated from the deeper layers of the Moon. It provided clues for the presence of lower crust and/or upper mantle materials at the landing site. 'High magnesium also comes from the mantle. With evidence of high concentrations of sulphur now, the present study becomes robust since it complements the previous study.' Anil Bhardwaj, Director PRL, also a co-author in this study, said that finding primitive mantle material is important because Apollo and Luna missions only comprised collections of lunar samples. 'We really don't have samples from the lunar mantle. These samples are crucial to understand how the Moon was formed, what connection does it have with the Earth, presence and proportion of volatile elements in the lunar interior and how it evolved over time,' said Bhardwaj. Commenting on the significance of the study, Rajesh VJ, professor, department of earth and space sciences at the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram, who was not involved with the study, said, the primitive mantle material from any planetary bodies is significant, as it provides vital information about the chemical composition of the early materials (rocks/minerals) present towards the deeper part (especially the mantle), before it underwent any sort of petrological modifications. Hence, these materials are used by geoscientists to understand the origin and early evolution of a planetary body. 'The discovery of sulphur-rich primitive mantle materials provides a rare opportunity for planetary scientists to conduct detailed investigations of the early evolution of the Moon. It provides the scientific community with more vital information about the composition of the lunar interior and its volatile contents,' he said.
Indian Express
30-04-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Potential presence of primitive lunar mantle material at landing site: Study
The Shiv Shakti point, where the world's first lunar landing was facilitated by India's Chandrayaan 3 in 2023, could hold a promising potential site for scientists to study the most primitive mantle samples on the lunar surface. The Shiv Shakti point is located at the southern high-latitude highlands of the nearside of the Moon. Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) used data gathered by Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer onboard the Pragyan rover. They compared metal remnants and elemental concentrations of sulfur, potassium, sodium among others at the Shiv Shakti point where Chandra-yaan 3 landed on August 23, 2023. Sulfur, potassium and sodium can give insights into the mantle composition and chemistry. 'There is an anomalous depletion in sodium and potassium at the site, whereas there is an enrichment in sulfur found in the soils at the highland landing site,' said the study published in the journal Nature Communications Earth and Environment. Detailing its significance and the plausible reasons for both depletion and abundance of certain metals, the researchers said, 'There is a potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials at the landing site, which was excavated during formation of the South Pole-Aitken basin, around 4.3 Ga (billion years) ago and may have got redistributed by subsequent impacts on the SPA basin ejecta. While the primitive mantle contributed to the excess sulfur, it later got mixed up with the materials at the landing site,' the paper noted. The South Pole-Aitken basin is one of the largest known impact craters on the lunar surface. The low levels of sodium and potassium at the Shiv Shakti point, the researchers said, could suggest that these elements may not have originally existed at the place and time of the very formation of the SPA basin. The variations in the elemental concentrations revealed by Chandrayaan 3 data has overturned findings made by previous lunar missions — the Apollo 16 and Luna 20 by the US and the Soviets, respectively. According to the PRL team, Chandrayaan 3 data noted the concentration of sulfur to be 300-500 parts per million higher than in soils gathered by the above missions. The Indian team is studying this anomalous difference in the concentrations and trace the causes at the landing site.
The Hindu
30-04-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
New study on Chandrayaan-3's landing site reveals potential presence of primitive lunar mantle materials
In a new finding, scientists of the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have revealed that the landing site (Shiv Shakti point) of the Chandrayaan-3 mission is a promising site to access primitive mantle samples, which was otherwise lacking in the existing lunar collections. The scientists have analysed the concentrations of volatile elements measured at Shiv Shakti station near the South Polar Region, using 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 said. This study was published in 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 further said that the primitive mantle contributed the excess sulfur, which got mixed up with the materials at 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 said. The APXS payload also measured abundances of volatile elements, including sodium, potassium, and sulfur in the highland soils, and reported varied concentrations ranging from 700-2,800 ppm, 300-400 ppm, and 900-1,400 ppm, respectively PRL scientists made a detailed analysis of the abundances of these volatile elements and found the concentrations of sodium and potassium at the Chandrayaan-3 landing site was found to be much lower compared that found in the soil samples from lunar highlands in earlier missions (Apollo 16 and Luna 20), while the concentration of sulfur was found to be 300-500 ppm higher 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 said. These findings make the Chandrayaan-3 landing site a promising place for future missions to collect samples, particularly to study the early evolution of the moon.
Chicago Tribune
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Columbine High School massacre claims the lives of 14 students and a teacher
Today is Sunday, April 20, the 110th day of 2025. There are 255 days left in the year. Today is Easter. Today in history: On April 20, 1999, two students shot and killed 12 classmates and one teacher and injured 23 others before taking their own lives at Columbine High School, near Denver, Colorado. Also on this date: In 1812, the fourth vice president of the United States, George Clinton, died in Washington at age 72, becoming the first vice president to die while in office. In 1912, Boston's Fenway Park, now the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball, hosted its first official baseball game in front of an estimated 27,000 spectators. (The Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11 innings.) In 1914, militia and Colorado National Guard members opened fire on an encampment of striking coal miners and their families in Ludlow, Colorado; at least 19 people in the camp, including 12 children, and one National Guard member were killed in the 'Ludlow Massacre.' In 1971, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools. In 1972, Apollo 16's lunar module, carrying astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke Jr., landed on the moon. In 1986, following an absence of over six decades, Russian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz returned to the Soviet Union to perform a concert at the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. In 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and caused a blowout that began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons (757 million liters) of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (The well was finally capped nearly three months later.) In 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges for the killing of George Floyd; Chauvin was later sentenced to 22 ½ years in prison. Today's Birthdays: Actor George Takei is 88. Actor Jessica Lange is 76. Actor Clint Howard is 66. Former MLB first baseman Don Mattingly is 64. Actor Crispin Glover is 61. Actor Andy Serkis is 61. Actor Shemar Moore is 55. Actor-model Carmen Electra is 53. Reggae musician Stephen Marley is 53. Rapper Killer Mike is 50. Actor Joey Lawrence is 49. Model Miranda Kerr is 42. Former NFL linebacker Luke Kuechly is 34.
Boston Globe
20-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Today in History: April 20, the Columbine High School shootings
In 1812, the fourth vice president of the United States, George Clinton, died in Washington at age 72, becoming the first vice president to die while in office. Advertisement In 1912, Boston's Fenway Park, now the oldest active stadium in Major League Baseball, hosted its first official baseball game in front of an estimated 27,000 spectators. (The Red Sox defeated the New York Highlanders 7-6 in 11 innings.) In 1914, militia and Colorado National Guard members opened fire on an encampment of striking coal miners and their families in Ludlow, least 19 people in the camp, including 12 children and one National Guard member, were killed in the 'Ludlow Massacre.' Advertisement In 1971, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the use of busing to achieve racial desegregation in schools. In 1972, Apollo 16's lunar module, carrying astronauts John W. Young and Charles M. Duke Jr., landed on the moon. In 1986, following an absence of over six decades, Russian-born pianist Vladimir Horowitz returned to the Soviet Union to perform a concert at the Grand Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow. In 1999, two students shot and killed 12 classmates and one teacher and injured 23 others before taking their own lives at Columbine High School, near Denver, Colo. In 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil platform, leased by BP, killed 11 workers and caused a blowout that began spewing an estimated 200 million gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (The well was finally capped nearly three months later.) In 2021, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder and manslaughter charges for the killing of George Floyd. Chauvin was later sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison.
