Ever wondered what the moon was like before the dawn of humanity and when dinosaurs roamed the earth?
Geologists at IIT Kharagpur had this same question.
They set up an experiment in their laboratory, in collaboration with the Physical Research Laboratory Ahmedabad, to simulate 4.3-billion-year-old lunar conditions.
The study focuses on a rare class of iron- and titanium-rich rocks known as ilmenite-bearing cumulates (IBC), believed to have formed around 4.3-4.4 billion years ago, when a vast ocean of molten rock covered the Moon.
As this magma ocean cooled, dense mineral layers sank deep into the lunar interior, preserving a record of the Moon’s early stages of evolution.
Researchers at IIT Kharagpur and PRL Ahmedabad have attempted to study this by simulating nearly 4.3-billion-year-old lunar conditions in the laboratory.
In a recent study published in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, a leading journal in Earth and planetary sciences, Himela Moitra, Sujoy Ghosh, Tamalkanti Mukherjee, Saibal Gupta, Kuljeet Kaur Marhas report new insights into the origin of titanium-rich lunar magmas.
Sujoy Ghosh explained what the team did. “By recreating the extreme conditions (equivalent to depths of ~700 km) found deep within the Moon in the laboratory, our team studied how these dense, iron- and titanium-rich materials formed during the final stages of the lunar magma ocean and changed over time.”
These findings provide new insights into how the Moon’s interior evolved after its early molten stage and help explain the origin of titanium-rich basalts on the lunar surface. More broadly, the work improves the understanding of how planetary interiors behave, including processes such as mantle overturn and magma generation.
Himela Moitra, the lead author of the study, explained, “Our experiments show that partial melting of these rocks can generate magmas similar to those found in lunar samples and orbital datasets.”
She further added, “Our study also reveals that interactions between these deep layers and the surrounding lunar mantle can influence how magma forms, how dense it is, and how it rises toward the lunar surface.”
Returning lunar samples is itself a technically challenging and ambitious undertaking. Several space agencies are pursuing this, and India is emerging as a key contributor to these global efforts.
Tamalkanti Mukherjee, a PhD student at IIT Kharagpur and co-author of the study, said, “This work helps connect high-pressure laboratory experiments with real lunar observations, allowing us to better interpret spacecraft data and understand the Moon’s internal processes.”
By identifying how and where such titanium-rich magmas form, the study helps scientists better interpret orbital data and anticipate the types of materials that may be found on the Moon.
This can support scientific planning, sample selection, and interpretation of returned lunar materials, ensuring that future missions extract maximum scientific value.
This experiment is also an example of the growing capability of indigenous experimental petrology facilities in India to simulate planetary interior conditions.