First rocks returned from Moon’s far side reveal ancient volcanic activity

Two groups of researchers have taken the first-ever look at samples brought back from the Moon’s far side — and revealed a history of volcanic activity that spans billions of years. Nearly two kilograms of lunar soil was retrieved by the China National Space Administration mission Chang’e-6 and then dropped down to Earth in a re-entry capsule. Scientists found grains of dust in the sample that originated from lava that erupted to the surface as long as 4.2 billion years ago.