Volatile loss following cooling and accretion of the Moon revealed by chromium isotopes

TL;DR

This study uses chromium isotopes to demonstrate that the Moon's volatile element loss occurred after its cooling and accretion, not during the giant impact, revealing equilibrium evaporation conditions at specific temperatures and oxygen levels.

Contribution

It provides the first high-precision chromium isotope measurements comparing Earth and Moon rocks, revealing equilibrium volatile loss conditions after lunar formation.

Findings

Cr isotopic enrichment in Moon indicates equilibrium evaporation.

Volatile loss occurred at 1600-1800 K, post-accretion.

Volatile depletion was not caused by the giant impact.

Abstract

Terrestrial and lunar rocks share chemical and isotopic similarities in refractory elements, suggestive of a common precursor. By contrast, the marked depletion of volatile elements in lunar rocks together with their enrichment in heavy isotopes compared to Earth s mantle suggests that the Moon underwent evaporative loss of volatiles. However, whether equilibrium prevailed during evaporation, and, if so, at what conditions (temperature, pressure and oxygen fugacity) remain unconstrained. Chromium may shed light on this question, as it has several thermodynamically-stable, oxidised gas species that can distinguish between kinetic and equilibrium regimes. Here, we present high-precision Cr isotope measurements in terrestrial and lunar rocks that reveal an enrichment in the lighter isotopes of Cr in the Moon compared to Earths mantle by 100 +/- 40 ppm per atomic mass unit. This observation is consistent with Cr partitioning into an oxygen-rich vapour phase in equilibrium with the proto-Moon, thereby stabilising the CrO2 species that is isotopically heavy compared to CrO in a lunar melt. Temperatures of 1600 to 1800 K and oxygen fugacities near the Fayalite-Magnetite-Quartz buffer are required to explain the elemental and isotopic difference of Cr between Earth s mantle and the Moon. These temperatures are far lower than modelled in the aftermath of a giant impact, implying that volatile loss did not occur contemporaneously with impact but following cooling and accretion of the Moon.