Uncover the mysterious 'pink' on the Moon

Researchers have discovered the composition of the pink mineral found on the Moon five years ago.

In 2009, Brown University planetary researcher Carle Pieters and NASA's Lunar Mineral Resources project team discovered a mineral of aluminum and magnesium - known as spinel, in color. Red rose like pink jelly.

Based on the analysis of the composition, the research team has fabricated a similar rock sample in the laboratory, in order to learn about the mechanism and geological conditions that help form a rare and precious mineral on the face. moon.

The pink spinel crystal is located inside the plagioclase mineral - a group of silicate minerals belonging to the feldspar family which is very popular on the Moon.(Feldspa is a factor that helps the Moon to have white light when shining).

The results show that Spinel is linked to an ancient magnesium rich rock , dating back to 4.1 billion years, known as Mg-suite , which was brought back by Apollo astronauts.

Mg-suite stones are rich in magnesium, potassium and other rare elements. This stone was once a part of the original Moon, until it was impacted and crushed by meteors.

'Mg-suite rock represents geological activities, but there is no trace of lava on the Moon today,' said Tabb Prissel, lead author of the Brown University team.

To create this pink Spinel, Prissel melted a mixture of lunar rock ingredients, tested samples at different pressures to know the phenomenon of rocks under the crust on the Moon. .

Prissel discovered the two most plausible ingredients to make this type of rosemary: the stone on the plagioclase Moon crust, and the Mg-suite-like type. He thinks that Mg-suite when melted, mixed with moon shell mineral, when cooled will form pink Spinel rock.