Mineralogical and Chemical Properties of the Lunar Regolith

Lunar regolith is the layer of loose, incoherent rock material that forms the majority of the Moon's surface. Since 1969, lunar materials have been thoroughly studied and a wealth of information has been published on their physical, chemical, and mineralogical properties. The origin of minerals on the lunar surface is somewhat complex because of the extensive reworking of the regolith by meteorites. Regolith materials have a variety of morphological characteristics and can be divided into several major categories: agglutinates; crystalline, igneous rock fragments; breccia fragments; mineral fragments; and glass. Three types of radiation interact with lunar materials; solar wind, solar flares, and galactic cosmic rays. Grain-size parameters have been widely used as an index to determine the relative surface exposure of a lunar soil.