Insights into Lunar Regolith Maturity Differences and Shallow Regolith Evolution from Multisource Spectra
- 1Macau University of Science and Technology
- 2Tongji University
- 3Chinese Academy of Sciences
Abstract
Space weathering progressively modifies lunar surface regolith, while impact gardening and related processes redistribute weathered materials within the upper regolith, generating depth-dependent variations in maturity. Although surface maturity has been extensively investigated, its variation within the uppermost few centimeters remains insufficiently characterized. In particular, whether shallow maturity profiles differ between nearside and farside, especially at mid-to-high latitudes, has yet to be systematically examined. Here, using multisource orbital and in situ observations together with sampling-derived information, we investigate the depth-dependent distribution of shallow maturity at the Chang’e-5 (CE-5) landing site on the nearside and the Chang’e-6 (CE-6) site on the farside, both located at mid-to-high latitudes. Prelanding orbital spectra characterize the undisturbed surface, whereas in situ spectra acquired after plume-induced erosion (∼0.4/0.7 cm depth) and sampling excavation (∼3.4/3.7 cm depth) provide information on deeper layers, enabling maturity comparisons across three shallow stratigraphic horizons. Maturity indicators consistently indicate that the shallow regolith of CE-6 is more mature than that of CE-5, with the postlanding in situ spectra yielding Is/FeO values of ∼78.13 and ∼31.40 for CE-6 and CE-5, respectively. Despite this difference in overall maturity, both sites exhibit similar depth-dependent patterns; the regolith becomes fresher with depth, showing relatively small maturity changes following plume erosion and more pronounced changes after sampling excavation. The similarity in these vertical patterns suggests broadly comparable intensities of two sites’ shallow regolith modification. These findings provide new observational constraints on the vertical distribution and evolution of shallow maturity and advance our understanding of regolith modification of CE-5 and CE-6 sites.
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BibTeX
@article{wu2026insights,
title = {{Insights into Lunar Regolith Maturity Differences and Shallow Regolith Evolution from Multisource Spectra}},
author = {Hanwei Wu and Qiquan Yang and Yi Xu and Sizhe Zhao and Renrui Liu and Tianyi Xu and Xiaoping Zhang and Bohan Zhou},
journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aeb028},
url = {https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeb028},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Insights into Lunar Regolith Maturity Differences and Shallow Regolith Evolution from Multisource Spectra
AU - Hanwei Wu
AU - Qiquan Yang
AU - Yi Xu
AU - Sizhe Zhao
AU - Renrui Liu
AU - Tianyi Xu
AU - Xiaoping Zhang
AU - Bohan Zhou
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - The Astrophysical Journal Letters
DO - 10.3847/2041-8213/aeb028
UR - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/aeb028
AB - Space weathering progressively modifies lunar surface regolith, while impact gardening and related processes redistribute weathered materials within the upper regolith, generating depth-dependent variations in maturity. Although surface maturity has been extensively investigated, its variation within the uppermost few centimeters remains insufficiently characterized. In particular, whether shallow maturity profiles differ between nearside and farside, especially at mid-to-high latitudes, has yet to be systematically examined. Here, using multisource orbital and in situ observations together with sampling-derived information, we investigate the depth-dependent distribution of shallow maturity at the Chang’e-5 (CE-5) landing site on the nearside and the Chang’e-6 (CE-6) site on the farside, both located at mid-to-high latitudes. Prelanding orbital spectra characterize the undisturbed surface, whereas in situ spectra acquired after plume-induced erosion (∼0.4/0.7 cm depth) and sampling excavation (∼3.4/3.7 cm depth) provide information on deeper layers, enabling maturity comparisons across three shallow stratigraphic horizons. Maturity indicators consistently indicate that the shallow regolith of CE-6 is more mature than that of CE-5, with the postlanding in situ spectra yielding Is/FeO values of ∼78.13 and ∼31.40 for CE-6 and CE-5, respectively. Despite this difference in overall maturity, both sites exhibit similar depth-dependent patterns; the regolith becomes fresher with depth, showing relatively small maturity changes following plume erosion and more pronounced changes after sampling excavation. The similarity in these vertical patterns suggests broadly comparable intensities of two sites’ shallow regolith modification. These findings provide new observational constraints on the vertical distribution and evolution of shallow maturity and advance our understanding of regolith modification of CE-5 and CE-6 sites.
SN - 2041-8205
SN - 2041-8213
ER -