Predicted Sources of Samples Returned From Chang’e−5 Landing Region

Abstract

China's Chang’e-5 (CE-5) has returned 1.731 kg lunar samples from a young mare unit on December 2020. Here, the authors used a spatially resolved numerical model, which considers both impact mixing and volcanic effusion, to estimate the evolving distribution of components over the landing region. Using this model, the age composition of surface scooped and sub-surface drilled CE-5 samples and their sources were traced back. The proposed model predicts that local mare material predominates in both surface and sub-surface samples and the nonlocal mare component is ∼1%. There is ∼40% of nonmare component. The composition of both nonmare components in the surface and sub-surface samples are similar: Abundant components are basin-sourced melts, where the Imbrium melt are ∼ 25% among all the melt. The ejecta of Sharp B, Harding, Copernicus, and Aristarchus crater that possess different compositions of basin-sourced melt may have significantly altered the material composition of the landing surface.