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Groundbreaking research on lunar dust collected by Apollo 17 astronauts has revolutionized our understanding of the moon’s age. Previous estimates placed the moon’s age at 4.425 billion years, but a new analysis of zircon crystals found in the lunar samples indicates that the moon is actually 40 million years older, clocking in at 4.46 billion years old. This discovery has been published in the esteemed journal Geochemical Perspectives Letters.
“These crystals are the oldest known solids that formed after the giant impact. And because we know how old these crystals are, they serve as an anchor for the lunar chronology,” explained senior study author Philipp Heck, who serves as the Robert A. Pritzker Curator for Meteoritics and Polar Studies at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.
The early days of our solar system were a chaotic period of rocky collisions. Over 4 billion years ago, a Mars-size object collided with Earth, causing a massive piece of rock to be ejected into space. This piece eventually formed the moon. However, accurately dating this event has proven to be a challenge for scientists.
The intense heat generated from the impact prevented zircon crystals from forming on the moon’s surface. The newly discovered crystals found were formed after the lunar magma ocean cooled, making them a significant piece of evidence in determining the moon’s age.
To unlock the secrets of the crystals, the researchers used an advanced technique called atom probe tomography. This method allowed them to examine the chemical composition of the zircon crystals and determine their age. By tracking the decay of uranium atoms to lead atoms, scientists can calculate the age of the crystals, much like an hourglass measures time by the accumulation of sand.
The incredible results revealed that the zircon crystals within the lunar dust were a staggering 4.46 billion years old, confirming that the moon itself must also be at least that old. Lead study author Jennika Greer described the feeling of holding the oldest bit of the moon as “amazing” and emphasized the importance of this discovery in understanding Earth’s history.
Although the lunar samples were brought back to Earth over 50 years ago, it was only recently that technology advanced enough to conduct the detailed analysis required to unlock their secrets. NASA has meticulously preserved these precious samples, unsealing them in recent years to enable cutting-edge research like this.
“The Moon is an important partner in our planetary system,” said Heck. “It stabilizes the Earth’s rotational axis, it’s the reason there are 24 hours in a day, it’s the reason we have tides. Without the Moon, life on Earth would look different. It’s a part of our natural system that we want to better understand, and our study provides a tiny puzzle piece in that whole picture.”
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