A study by IIT Kharagpur and the Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) has explained how titanium-rich rocks formed on the Moon. Lunar basalts contain up to 18% titanium dioxide (TiO₂), compared with under 2% on Earth. Using high-pressure, high-temperature experiments that recreate the Moon's interior, the researchers found a two-stage process of melting and mixing in the lunar mantle: a dense ilmenite-bearing layer sank and melted into titanium-rich magma, which later rose to form titanium-rich volcanic rocks on the surface.