A Western University researcher changes what we thought we knew about the moon - CBC.ca

A discovery made by a researcher at Western University could change our understanding of water's history on the Moon.

Postdoctoral scholar Tara Hayden began studying a small meteorite several years ago when she was a PhD student, a space rock that's origin had not yet been classified.

"I worked to prove that it was from the Moon and then discovered that it held a tiny piece of the moon's crust within it," said Hayden. "I was so excited to see that it was my first time seeing it and I found this mineral apatite within it."

Hayden's discovery was published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Jan. 15.

WATCH | Tara Hayden talked about her lunar discovery on CBC London Morning:

A lunar discovery to change our understanding of the Moon's history

16 hours ago

Duration 7:29

Tara Hayden, a postdoctoral scholar at Western University, joined CBC London Morning to talk about her discovery inside a lunar meteorite that could change our understanding of the history of the Moon.

Mineral apatite is a mineral that's rich in the elements calcium and phosphorus, along with more volatile elements such as hydrogen and chlorine sulfur.

"It's key for us to be able to study water, not just on the Moon, but here on Earth and on other planets as well," said Hayden.

"I found that it had very different chemistry than we would have expected at this stage in lunar history, as we'd never found it in this rock type before. We knew very little about this stage of lunar history and lunar evolution, which is this stage when it was completely molten."

Tara Hayden's discovery could lead to a revision of what we know about the history of the moon. (Western University)

Hayden said the meteorite was dated to be 4.54 billion years old. Her discovery raises new questions about what we know about the history of the Moon.

"Being able to understand what happened in the Moon's history is just such an exciting prospect," said Hayden. "We've got this wealth of information that was brought back from the Moon's surface, and we need to study them and find the same rock type in the Apollo rocks and see if it contains this mineral appetite and study it even more."

Hayden said a greater understanding of water on the Moon could lend to a further understanding of how life was formed here on Earth.

LISTEN | New discovery could change how we understand the history of the Moon:

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2024-01-18 10:00:00Z
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