The Geochemical Effect of Impact Processing of Polar Regolith on the Moon

The paper considers the geochemical effects of impact processing of the polar regolith of the Moon. It contains an admixture of water ice, which can (should?) provide conditions for possible chemical reactions. To date, only one geochemical effect was reliably found—the formation of hematite Fe 2 O 3 , which is uncharacteristic for relatively low selenographic latitudes. In the work, a thermodynamic analysis of the conditions required for the formation of hematite is carried out. It is shown that this requires the presence of free oxygen, which (this is a possible option) can accumulate during the dissipation into outer space of hydrogen formed during water decomposition. The specific process or processes of hematite formation require further study. It is very likely that impact processing of polar regolith also leads to hydration of silicate glasses and to the formation of heavy hydrocarbons. The dissipation of free hydrogen into outer space, which, apparently, is formed in these processes, should lead to an increase in the deuterium content in the remaining hydrogen. The Н 2 О ice of the polar regolith likely contains a significant amount of heavy water. Future investigations in the polar regions of the Moon, especially with the delivery of samples to Earth, should confirm or refute these conclusions and assumptions.