Zinc isotopes record lunar magmatic outgassing and surface processes in different Chang’e-5 samples

The Moon is depleted in moderately volatile elements compared with Earth, likely due to high-temperature processes during its formation. How this depletion evolved and the role of later surface processes remain unclear. Here we report high-precision zinc isotope measurements of basalt fragments and soils collected by the Chang’e-5 (CE-5) mission from a ~ 2-billion-year-old volcanic region. The basalts have zinc isotope values similar to those of Apollo mare basalts, consistent with global volatile loss during the Moon-forming impact. In contrast, soils show lighter zinc isotope signatures than Apollo soils and no variation with depth, suggesting little effect from space weathering. Instead, the data indicate that low-temperature volcanic outgassing deposited isotopically light zinc on the surface. These results show that young lunar soils can retain evidence of late-stage volcanic degassing, distinct from the intense volatile loss that shaped the early Moon. Zinc isotope data from Chang’e-5 lunar basalt samples records early impact driven volatile depletion, whereas soil samples primarily record late-stage volcanic degassing, with only limited space-weathering modification.