Scientists made the new discovery while examining lunar dust crystals brought back by the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. The study is described in the journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters.
It is believed that about 100 million years after the formation of the solar system, when the planets had already formed, a celestial body the size of Mars collided with the Earth and ejected a large mass of material that eventually became the Moon. The energy involved in the impact meant that its surface was initially molten, but as the lunar magma ocean cooled the material solidified.
It is important to note that the crystals examined in the study were formed during this cooling process, and their composition allowed researchers to determine the age of the crystals and therefore the age of the Moon.
But these deadlines have been difficult to determine. Some studies of lunar material, combined with modeling, have suggested that the Moon is approximately 4.42 billion years old, but recent crystal studies have suggested it may be even older.
Now researchers say new analytical techniques confirm crystals formed in the more distant past.
This approach, known as atom probe tomography, uses a laser to evaporate atoms in crystals that have been sharpened down to a very thin “nanotype.” The mass of these atoms can then be determined and the fraction of different isotopes of uranium and lead atoms measured. This ratio may shed light on the age of the crystals, as uranium decays into lead over time through radioactive decay.
As a result, the research team determined the age of the crystals and therefore the age of the Moon. According to their estimates, the age of the satellite is at least 4.46 billion years.
Previous scientists offered Use sunlight to pave the moon.