Analysis of Apollo-return samples revealed that the chlorine content and isotope compositions of lunar samples are unique compared with Earthly and other materials, such as meteorites, suggesting that much of the chlorine and other volatile elements were transferred from the Moon to the Earth during the Giant Impact, the collision that formed the Earth-Moon system; differences in the chlorine isotope system between the Earth and Moon carry implications for how chlorine and other volatile elements were degassed throughout the crystallization of the Moon and trapped in cold regions of the lunar crust, according to the authors.
Article #20-14503: "The Cl isotope composition and halogen contents of Apollo-return samples," by Anthony Gargano et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Zachary Sharp, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM; e-mail: zsharp@unm.edu
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