Impact-generated magnetite in Chang’e-5 soil as a potential recorder of lunar magnetism
Abstract Magnetite is a principal paleomagnetic recorder on Earth, but lunar magnetism is thought to be dominated by metallic iron and Fe-Ni alloys, with magnetite rare and typically sub-micrometer within troilite. We identify nanometer- to micrometer-scale magnetite in pentlandite-troilite assemblages from a Chang’e-5 regolith breccia. Magnetite occurs at and within pentlandite, locally enclosing pentlandite nanoinclusions, implying a formation pathway distinct from troilite-hosted occurrences. Textures and compositions indicate sequential crystallization from an impact-generated Fe-Ni-S-O melt: rapid pentlandite growth along troilite margins followed by magnetite nucleation at sulfide-silicate interfaces. The lunar low oxygen fugacity stabilizes Fe 2+ -enriched magnetite, unlike terrestrial analogues. High crystallinity and single-domain to single-vortex states indicate strong remanence stability, making these grains reliable recorders of the contemporaneous lunar magnetic fields. These results broaden the inventory of lunar magnetic carriers, demonstrate impact-driven magnetite formation under lunar redox conditions, and motivate use of magnetite to refine the Moon’s magnetic history.
Authors
- Lin Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7504-031X)
- Xiaojing Sha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0952-4620)
- Qiuli Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7280-5508)
- ShiQi Cheng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4613-2303)
- Lixin Gu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1254-8693)
- Xu Tang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2476-1635)
- Zheng Gong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9482-5545)
- Yongxin Pan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4227-3061)
- Qianqian Lan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9215-4925)
- Rafal E. Dunin–Borkowski (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8082-0647)
- Yuqin Wang
- Jinhua Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1622-6170)
- Qinghua Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9086-7000)
- Chen Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9839-6100)
- Jian Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5184-7023)
- Yang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5456-6603)
- Chaoqun Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8141-1888)
- Peiyu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1923-3276)
- Andrew P. Roberts (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0566-8117)
- Weiwei Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7923-8078)
- Gang Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1937-2616)
- Jiawei Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-8363-2869)
- Yi Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6167-8032)
Institutions
- Australian National University (AU)
- Forschungszentrum Jülich (DE)
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Ernst Ruska Centre (DE)
- University of Saskatchewan (CA)
- Institute of Geology and Geophysics (AZ)
- Carl Zeiss (United States) (US)
- Institute of Geology and Geophysics (CN)
- Institute of Geochemistry (CN)
- Institute of High Energy Physics (CN)
- Institute of Physics (CN)
- National Laboratory for Superconductivity (CN)
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Canadian Light Source (Canada) (CA)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Communications Earth & Environment
- Published
- 2025-11-10
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02868-z
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.31
Funders
- Canadian Light Source
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Canadian Institutes of Health Research
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
- Western Economic Diversification Canada