The Chang'e‐5 (CE‐5) materials represent the youngest returned lunar samples. We performed a detailed Raman spectroscopic survey (1259‐point Raman modal analysis) to evaluate the mineralogical characteristics of CE‐5 soils, constraining the source materials and shock effects of these unique samples. The mineral chemistry (e.g., Mg#_3‐60 for mafic minerals) and modal abundance (first distinguishing basaltic and feldspathic glasses) of CE‐5 mare soils are different from those of Apollo high‐ and low‐Ti basalts, possibly representing an intermediate‐Ti mare basalt. The occurrence of minor Mg‐rich materials (Mg# > 70) provides evidence of contamination from ∼5% to 7% exogenous materials, possibly related to Mg‐suite rocks. The microimage analyses suggest that the CE‐5 soils are fine‐grained, mature, and unimodal particle‐size distribution, highlighting that micrometeorite reworking dominates the CE‐5 regolith evolution with minor mixing from nonmare materials. The pressure‐sensitive minerals (quartz and maskelynite) indicate that 17–25.8 GPa shock pressures might be the higher limit in a relatively young lunar terrain.

Volcanism on the Moon has produced surface basalt deposits, which record lunar interior processes. The Chang’e-6 mission retrieved samples from the South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA) on the Moon’s far side. We analyzed basalt fragments collected by Chang’e-6 and found that their composition resembles that of low-titanium basalts previously sampled by the Apollo missions. Uranium-lead (U-Pb) dating indicated a basalt age of 2823.0 ± 5.9 million years and a source ²³⁸ U/ ²⁰⁴ Pb ratio (μ-value) of 480 ± 56. This high μ-value indicates that the source contained materials that formed during the late stages of lunar magma ocean (LMO) crystallization. The results are consistent with the LMO model, but the Chang’e-6 basalt deviates from the trend in Apollo mission samples of younger basalts having higher μ-values. We suggest that this indicates post-LMO modification of the mantle by the SPA impact.

The Vastitas Borealis Formation is a Hesperian-aged sedimentary unit that mainly covers the Martian northern plains. Its environment of formation is uncertain but may be related to an ancient Martian ocean, outflow channel deposits, compaction and drainage activities, or subsurface ice-related processes. Here we investigate the geological evolution of the Vastitas Borealis Formation using geochemical and mineralogical data acquired by the Mars Surface Composition Detector on board the Zhurong rover at the Tianwen-1 landing site. We find that the fine-grained soil is very similar to the ubiquitous surface dust at other landing sites on Mars but mixed with calcium-rich and magnesium-poor local materials. These materials are mostly igneous minerals mixed with allophane and imogolite/opal and appear to have a low degree of chemical alteration. We suggest that these deposits likely formed by alteration of extensive volcaniclastic soils in limited or ephemeral water under cold conditions, which largely supports the hypotheses of a frozen ocean and sublimation.

One of the most mysterious lunar features discovered during the Apollo era was Ina, a ~2 × 3‐km depression composed of bleb‐like mounds surrounded by hummocky and blocky terrains. Subsequent studies identified dozens of similar features in lunar maria, describing them as Irregular Mare Patches (IMPs). Due to the unusual and complex characteristics of IMPs, their specific formation mechanism is debated. To improve our understanding of the nature and origin of IMPs, we undertook an updated search and geological characterization of all IMPs and established a classification approach encompassing the full spectrum of IMPs. We present an updated catalog of 91 IMPs and survey the detailed characteristics of each IMP. We find that the majority of IMPs occur in maria emplaced over three billion years ago, contemporaneous with the peak period of global lunar volcanism. We utilized geologic context information and characteristics to establish two classification schemes for lunar IMPs: (1) geologic context: IMPs are categorized into (a) small shield volcano summit pit floor and flank, (b) linear/sinuous rille interior and adjacent exterior, and (c) typical maria; (2) characteristics: IMPs are classified into (a) “mound + floor” and (b) “pit only” types. We showed the range of characteristics of lunar IMPs was consistent with the waning‐stage magmatic foam formation and extrusion scenario in different environments. Our updated catalog and classification raise several outstanding questions concerning the nature and origin of lunar IMPs. Assessing these questions will improve our knowledge of lunar thermal and geologic evolution.

Potential water ice concentrated within the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) near lunar poles is both scientifically significant and of value for future explorations. However, after decades of observations, the existence and characteristics of PSR water‐ice remain controversial. The 1064 nm laser reflectance measurements collected by the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) onboard the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) provide a unique opportunity to detect and characterize PSR water‐ice. In this work, we focus on all major PSRs on the flat floors of lunar polar craters and analyze their detailed LOLA 1064 nm albedo and the compare this with the adjacent flat non‐permanently shadowed regions (non‐PSRs). We find that the LOLA albedo of the majority of these PSRs are systematically higher than their adjacent non‐PSRs. Potential contributions of various factors to the observed LOLA albedo are individually quantitatively evaluated; we show that each of them is unable to account for the observed LOLA albedo anomalies and that the presence of surface water‐ice is the most likely explanation. Combined characterization of LOLA albedo and substrate impact cratering records (crater populations and depths) reveal that the inferred PSR water‐ices are in very small quantity (probably in the form of a surface frost layer or admixture with regolith) and are laterally heterogeneous in model ice concentration, ranging from negligible to ~6%. We recommend that these PSRs as priority targets for future surface in‐situ exploration endeavors, and a case assessment of Amundsen crater is presented.