Dazhong.com·Poster News Reporter Sun Jie Jinan Report
Recently, the world's first 1:2.5 million moon rock type distribution map led by Shandong University was announced to the public. The map divides the surface material of the moon into three categories: lunar sea rock, non-lunar sea rock and special rock. A total of 17 rock types are expressed, including 5 types of HTML April sea basalt (including 923 lava flow units), 7 types of non-lunar sea rock (including 1,210 lithological units and 434 lithological outcrops) and 5 types of special rock outcrops (including 115 lithological units and 779 lithological outcrops).
1:2.5 million moon rock type distribution map English version thumbnail
It is understood that this map is a comprehensive expression of the current distribution of material components on the moon's surface and related knowledge. It can be used as the basic data for lunar scientific research, exploration mission planning, sampling and return target area selection, and can also provide reference for the future development of other rocky earth planetary maps. The distribution map of the 1:2.5 million moon rock types are divided into Chinese and English versions, and will be officially released by Geological Press in paper and electronic versions.
Human scientific understanding of the components of material such as elements, minerals, rock types on the surface of the moon began in the 1950s and 1970s. A large number of unmanned lunar exploration and manned lunar exploration have obtained precious historical data. Due to the lack of comprehensive detection data at that time, the earliest batch of lunar maps mainly express morphological characteristics but lack material component information.
Since the 1990s, a new round of lunar exploration mission has obtained detection data on material components on the entire moon's surface. my country has launched lunar exploration projects since 2004. Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 probes have been launched one after another, and have obtained a large amount of remote sensing detection data of material components, providing first-hand information for compiling lunar maps based on my country's independent detection data.
Comprehensive information on lunar rocks
In 2013, human spacecraft returned to the surface of the moon nearly 40 years later, and Chang'e-3 landed on " Guanghan Palace ". In 2019, Chang'e-4 achieved the first soft landing on the back of the moon by humans, and is still conducting patrols and explorations. The massive data obtained by these lunar exploration missions have led to a large amount of research on the composition of the moon's surface material and improved our understanding of the moon. In addition to remote sensing data, early lunar landing missions brought 382 kilograms of lunar samples back to Earth. According to the characteristics of these samples, people collected and identified meteorites from the moon on Earth. After 44 years of lunar sampling, my country's Chang'e-5 mission successfully carried 1,731 grams of lunar samples back to Earth at the end of 2020. These lunar samples allow scientists to study the material composition and rock causes on the moon's surface in more detail.
From 2012 to 2022, under the support of the "Chang'e Project" detection data, under the leadership of Liu Jianzhong, a researcher at the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shandong University, as the leading unit, joined forces with the Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Jilin University, , and Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, based on the classification methods in lunar samples, integrated the information obtained from lunar remote sensing research in recent years, established a set of rock classification system on the surface of the lunar surface, and summarized the characteristics of different rocks and their emergence environment. At the same time, by formulating lunar rock classification indicators, drawing process and methods, and legends, and applying the Geographic Information Science (GIS) platform, the world's first 1:2.5 million lunar rock type distribution map was completed.
