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[i]The findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, focus on a geologically young region of the moon's surface – and shed fresh light on the evolution of our nearest neighbor. "We recognize a new type of lunar basalt with a distinctive mineral assemblage compared with the samples from Apollo and Luna, and the lunar meteorites," the study authors wrote... "Results indicate that this region's composition differs from other mare sample-return sites and is a new type of mare basalt not previously sampled, but consistent with remote sensing," the authors wrote. And in the rock material examined in this spot – an area that's roughly 3 billion years old – the researchers discovered a surprising mix of chemical abundances, relatively rich in titanium dioxide and yet also in the mineral olivine (a magnesium iron silicate). In all likelihood, the basaltic rocks probably developed late in the history of the magma ocean that seeded them. "The chemical and mineralogical information of the CE-3 landing site provides new ground truth for some of the youngest volcanism on the moon," the study authors wrote.[/i]
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