VLS /vapor-liquid-solid/ - Newly discovered growth mechanism on the lunar surface.

A probable vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) type of growth has been discovered for the first time in nature on the surface of lunar rock 15015. Scanning electron microprobe and energy dispersive x-ray data indicate that the growth occurs as metallic iron stalks from about 0.015 to 0.15 micrometer in diameter, with bulbous tips consisting of a mixture of iron and sulfur and measuring from about 0.03 to 0.2 micrometer in diameter. The stalk length is two to ten times the bulb diameter.