^1,2,3,4Jiaxin Xi,^1,2,3,4Shan Li,^1,2,3Haiyang Xian,^1,2,3Yiping Yang,⁵Dongsheng He,^1,2,3,4Jianxi Zhu,^1,2,3Xiaoju Lin,^1,2,3,4Hongmei Yang,^1,2,3,4Hongping He
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (in Press) Link to Article [https://doi.org/10.1029/2025JE009174]
¹State Key Laboratory of Deep Earth Processes and Resources, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy ofSciences, Guangzhou, P.R. China
²Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Mineral Physics and Materials, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, P.R. China
³Center for Advanced Planetary Science(CAPS), Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, P.R. China
⁴University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
⁵Pico Center and Department of Physics, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China
Published by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons

Recent studies challenge the classical view of the Moon as lacking ferric iron (Fe3+). Laboratoryinvestigations and remote sensing data confirm the presence of Fe3+, but its evolutionary mechanisms are notfully understood. We propose a temperature‐dependent mechanism for the evolution of iron content and valencein the assembly of clinopyroxene‐glass from Chang’e 5 lunar regolith samples. In situ heating experimentsusing transmission electron microscopy coupled with electron energy loss spectroscopy showed that heatingfrom 23°C to 1,000°C reduced clinopyroxene’s Fe concentration from 7.73% to 5.59%, while its Fe3+/∑Fe(∑Fe = Fe3+ + Fe2+) ratio increased from 30.17% to 59.74%. Concurrently, the Fe content in adjacent glassdecreased at higher temperatures, with a significant drop in its Fe3+/∑Fe ratio from 22.81% at 700°C to 3.93% at900°C. These findings indicate a heating‐induced co‐evolution of iron in lunar glass and clinopyroxene,suggesting that the impact‐induced thermal evolution of Fe3+ may influence the lunar surface’s local redox state.