Rocks from an Aberdeenshire coastal village are helping scientists to develop equipment which could enable astronauts to investigate the surface of the moon.
Portsoy has long been known for its important geological features but now researchers from the University of Aberdeen are using the rare assembly of rock types found in the harbour area to replicate lunar geology.
It is the test bed for a collaboration between academics, space agencies and mineral exploration companies which aims to create a hand-held instrument for astronauts that could one day allow them to make analysis of rocks on the moon.
The moon has an inner core made up of pyroxenite, while the outer region is composed largely of anorthosite and gabbro. Meteorite strikes in the geological past are thought to have caused deep impacts that brought pyroxenite to the surface.
These three rocks occur within close proximity at Portsoy and researchers from the University of Aberdeen are taking advantage of this rare ‘geological combination’ to gain an understanding of how an instrument for the moon could be used and to demonstrate its application.
Professor John Parnell, who is leading the project at Aberdeen, said: “Exploration of the moon focuses on two key areas – evidence of traces of water and the potential for minerals including nickel.
“Portsoy is in a select position to help us develop equipment to test for that and gain the understanding we need here on Earth.
“It is the closest replica we have ever found to lunar geology. There are three particular rocks that characterise the moon surface - pyroxenite, gabbro and anorthosite. These three rocks all occur in Portsoy and really conveniently can all be found in the harbour area.”
The gabbro at Portsoy contains the mineral olivine, which when exposed to water is converted into a complex multi-coloured mineral called serpentine.
The scientists are designing systems which can look at olivine and see if traces of serpentine are contained within it. This would indicate if there has been water present in the past – a question crucial to lunar exploration.
Dr Joe Armstrong, Lecturer and Interdisciplinary Fellow at the University of Aberdeen, added: “People visiting Portsoy will be familiar with ‘Portsoy marble’ historically quarried to the west of the town and often picked up as a souvenir. This ‘marble’ is actually the metamorphic rock serpentinite, composed predominantly of the serpentine group minerals we are interested in.
“This long-time staple of the area’s gift shops is part of the assemblage that could provide new answers about geological conditions on the moon. This is key to unlocking understanding of the moon’s potential resources – a key area of focus for current space missions.
“We have been using rocks at Portsoy for decades to teach our students as the area is known for its geological importance but this is the first time they have been used to further space exploration in this way.”
The Aberdeen geologists are using the results from Portsoy to feed into an international collaboration involving the universities of Leicester and Madrid, the British Space Agency and European Space Agency with further input from the private sector in the UK and beyond.