Researchers at Ehime University aimed to address this question by synthesizing garnet-rich lunar rock samples using the multi-anvil press apparatus "ORANGE-2000" at the Geodynamics Research Center. These samples were then taken to SPring-8, a large-scale synchrotron radiation facility in Hyogo Prefecture. At the High Pressure and High Temperature beamline BL04B1, the researchers simulated conditions of the Moon's deep interior and measured sound wave propagation in the garnet-rich samples.
The results indicated that the sound velocities in these garnet-containing samples matched the seismic and density profiles of the Moon's deep interior at depths between 740 and 1260 km. In contrast, samples with little or no garnet failed to explain the observed seismic velocities and densities at these depths.
These findings carry significant implications for our understanding of the Moon's composition, formation, internal temperature, and the now-inactive lunar dynamo.
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