Hydrogen-bearing vesicles in space weathered lunar calcium-phosphates

• Published in: Communications earth & environment Vol. 4; no. 1; p. 414
• Main Authors: Burgess, Katherine D, Cymes, Brittany A, Stroud, Rhonda M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 01.01.2023; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Apatite; Calcium; Exosphere; Grains; Heat sources; Hydrogen; Irradiation; Lunar bases; Lunar soil; Lunar surface; Moon; Phosphates; Regolith; Rims; Solar wind; Space exploration; Space missions; Transmission electron microscopy; Vesicles; Volatiles; Geochemistry; Hydrology; Rings and moons; Mineralogy
• ISSN: 2662-4435; 2662-4435
• DOI: 10.1038/s43247-023-01060-5

Water on the surface of the Moon is a potentially vital resource for future lunar bases and longer-range space exploration. Effective use of the resource depends on developing an understanding of where and how within the regolith the water is formed and retained. Solar wind hydrogen, which can form molecular hydrogen, water and/or hydroxyl on the lunar surface, reacts and is retained differently depending on regolith mineral content, thermal history, and other variables. Here we present transmission electron microscopy analyses of Apollo lunar soil 79221 that reveal solar-wind hydrogen concentrated in vesicles as molecular hydrogen in the calcium-phosphates apatite and merrillite. The location of the vesicles in the space weathered grain rims offers a clear link between the vesicle contents and solar wind irradiation, as well as individual grain thermal histories. Hydrogen stored in grain rims is a source for volatiles released in the exosphere during impacts.