Persistent but weak magnetic field at Moon's midlife revealed by Chang'e-5 basalt

Abstract

The evolution of the lunar magnetic field can reveal the Moon's interior structure, thermal history, and surface environment. The mid-to-late stage evolution of the lunar magnetic field is poorly constrained, and thus the existence of a long-lived lunar dynamo remains controversial. The Chang'e-5 mission returned the heretofore youngest mare basalts from Oceanus Procellarum uniquely positioned at mid-latitude. We recovered weak paleointensities of 2-4 uT from the Chang'e-5 basalt clasts at 2 billion years ago, attestting to the longevity of a lunar dynamo until at least the Moon's midlife. This paleomagnetic result implies the existence of thermal convection in the lunar deep interior at the lunar mid-stage which may have supplied mantle heat flux for the young volcanism.