Morphological observation and mineralogical analysis of basaltic debris from a Chang'e-5 drilled lunar soil sample

This paper analyzes the morphological characteristics and mineralogy of drilled basaltic clast sample CE5Z0806YJYX004, compares the variations in Chang'e-5 samples at different depths, and conducts a comparative analysis with surface-collected samples from Chang'e-5 and Apollo missions. Interestingly, Advanced electron microscopy identified bubbles and microcracks on the surface of some constituting mineral particles, and also displays crystalline particles with distinct rock textures and spherical droplets, revealing surface phenomena formed by space weathering. Based on Raman spectroscopy analysis, the main mineral phases were identified as 49.6 vol% pyroxene, 31.4 vol% plagioclase and 8.8 vol% olivine. Apatite, ilmenite and cristobalite are also found. The results indicate that the Chang'e-5 lunar soil exhibits similar mineral compositions at different depths. In short, a comparison was made between our drilling sample and the Chang'e-5 soil samples as well as samples from the Apollo mission series, demonstrating the physical similarities and some variations. • Chemical composition of minerals within a 1 m depth range was confirmed in the Chang'e-5 lunar soil sample. • Crystals with rock textures, spherical droplets, bubbles, and microcracks were found in the Chang'e-5 lunar soil sample. • Delicate 3D rendering of sample modal distribution was given for the Chang'e-5 lunar soil sample.