Lunar regolith is a layer of fine dust, fragmented rock, glass spheres, and mineral grains covering the Moon's bedrock, formed by billions of years of meteoroid impacts, solar wind, and radiation exposure without atmospheric weathering or organic matter. Over 98% of its mass is composed of oxygen, silicon, iron, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and titanium, primarily structured in minerals like plagioclase feldspar, pyroxenes, olivine, and ilmenite. Its composition varies significantly by region: the light-colored Lunar Highlands are rich in aluminum-heavy anorthosite, whereas the dark Lunar Maria feature basaltic flows higher in iron and titanium. Due to constant space weathering, regolith also unique features agglutinates (grains welded together by impact-melted glass), nanophase metallic iron, and embedded solar-wind volatiles like helium-3 and hydrogen.
Lunar regolith is a layer of fine dust, fragmented rock, glass spheres, and mineral grains covering the Moon's bedrock, formed by billions of years of meteoroid impacts, solar wind, and radiation exposure without atmospheric weathering or organic matter. Over 98% of its mass is composed of oxygen, silicon, iron, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, and titanium, primarily structured in minerals like plagioclase feldspar, pyroxenes, olivine, and ilmenite. Its composition varies significantly by region: the light-colored Lunar Highlands are rich in aluminum-heavy anorthosite, whereas the dark Lunar Maria feature basaltic flows higher in iron and titanium. Due to constant space weathering, regolith also unique features agglutinates (grains welded together by impact-melted glass), nanophase metallic iron, and embedded solar-wind volatiles like helium-3 and hydrogen.