Last unique 'moon mineral' brought back by Apollo astronauts is found in billion-year-old Australian rocks



Last of three minerals brought back by Apollo mission in 1969

May be 'widespread' on Earth

Proof that Earth and the moon share the same chemical processes

Australian paleontologist Birger Rasmussen has found tranquillityite, a mineral thought to be unique to the moon, in billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia.



When the Apollo astronauts returned to Earth, they brought back three minerals - armalcolite, pyroxferroite, and tranquillityite, named after the Sea of Tranquillity, where astronauts landed in 1969.

The first two were subsequently found on Earth - but the third, tranquillityite was thought to be the 'moon's own mineral'.



A mineral brought back to Earth by the first men on the Moon and long thought to be unique to the lunar surface has been found in Australian rocks more than one billion years old, scientists say

The northeast Pilbara region of Western Australia where the dolerite containing the 'moon mineral' tranquillityite has been discovered

Thin slices of the dolerite which contains tranquillityite - a mineral thought to be unique to the moon, but is now thought to be 'widespread'

In a paper published this week, Rasmussen reveals that the mineral is present in six sites in Australia - and might be 'widespread.'

Rasmussen told the Sydney Morning Herald , 'This was essentially the last mineral which was sort of uniquely lunar that had been found in the 70s from these samples returned from the Apollo mission. '

'The mineral has since been found exclusively in returned lunar samples and lunar meteorites, with no terrestrial counterpart. We have now identified tranquillityite in six sites from Western Australia.'

Rasmussen says that it's proof these minerals were 'always' part of the Earth - and that similar chemical processes are at work on earth and on the moon.

'This means that basically we have the same chemical phenomena on the Moon and on Earth.'

In a paper published in the journal Geology, Birger says that he analysed moon rocks, then looked for the mineral in samples from Earth. He said that the reason no one had found it was that, 'No one was looking hard enough.'

Birger says that he analysed moon rocks, then looked for the mineral in samples from Earth. He said that the reason no one had found it was that, 'No one was looking hard enough'

Rasmussen says that it's proof these minerals were 'always' part of the Earth - and that similar chemical processes are at work on earth and on the moon

Rasmussen reveals that the mineral is present in six sites in Australia - and might be 'widespread'







