A lunar mineral named Changesite-(Ce) discovered by a Chinese research team has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association, marking the 11th globally identified lunar mineral. This brings China's total to four, equal to the United States. The mineral was found in the Pakepake 005 lunar meteorite, China's first recovered sample.
The China Geological Survey announced that a new lunar mineral, Changesite-(Ce), discovered by Chinese researchers in a lunar meteorite has been approved by the International Mineralogical Association. This is the 11th lunar mineral identified globally, raising China's total to four, matching the United States.
The mineral comes from the Pakepake 005 lunar meteorite, the first such sample recovered in China, found in January 2024 in Xinjiang's Taklamakan Desert. It is the third new lunar mineral identified in meteorite samples, after those by U.S. and German teams.
Changesite-(Ce) is a rare-earth phosphate containing cerium and magnesium, part of the cerite supergroup. Wang Yanjuan, lead discoverer from the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, said the finding provides "key mineralogical evidence" for the moon's origin and evolution, as well as insights into lunar magma processes and rare-earth element distribution.