2023-07-31 05:00:00
The Moon has accompanied the Earth since its formation about 4.5 billion years ago. Orlando Aurquia Meteored Mexico 31/07/2023 07:00 4 min
A recent article in the Nature magazine indicates that a group of scientists discovered an anomalous radioactive granite formation using satellite data. This discovery is located on the far side of the Moon, more precisely in the Compton-Belkovich craters.
This surprising discovery is a sign of volcanic activity on the Moon. It has long been known that our natural satellite experienced lava fields and eruptions millions of years ago, but no evidence has ever been found.
A study shows that time was five times slower when the universe was young!
The study published by Nature indicates that a dormant volcano for about 3.5 billion years may be the source of this unusual granite.
Satellite data has shown the presence of a large, hot, silicon-rich zone about 20 kilometers wide which researchers identify as the caldera of an ancient volcano. The temperature is 10°C higher than that of the environment.
Nature research paper: Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at ComptonBelkovich https://t.co/SkhzHv97Iv
— nature (@Nature) July 6, 2023
The researchers reported that the observed temperature difference is not due to the presence of magma under the surface, but to the radioactivity of the elements attached to the rocks.
New method of temperature measurement
Doctors Matt Siegle and Rita Economos, authors of the article, discovered the heat thanks to a new method that uses microwaves to measure subsurface temperatures via the Chinese Chang’E 1 and 2 satellites, and the Prospector and Lunar Reconnaissance satellites of the NASA.
The term granite covers various rocks that are grainy in appearance and light in color, but with different proportions of minerals.
The researchers associated the heat flow to a granite body rich in radiogens located under the caldera of the volcano. Scientists explain this discovery by the presence of a 50 km wide batholith.
Batholiths are volcanic rock formations that appear when lava rises in the earth’s crust but fails to erupt to the surface. Known examples are found at El Capitan and Half Dome in Yosemite, California.
This fascinating discovery raises more questions than it answers, because it is still not known how the granite was produced, this type of rock needs water to form or very high temperature conditions.
Volcanic activity on the Moon
2 to 4 billion years ago, the Moon was a volcanic hotspot. Tens of thousands of volcanoes erupted on the surface, releasing hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of lava onto the lunar floor.
At that time, the Moon experiences a volcanic eruption approximately every 22,000 years. This activity created huge rivers and lava lakes similar to those in present-day Hawaii, but on a much larger scale.
Why does the Moon always show the same side?
The Moon has a rotation; the time it takes to circle its axis is the same as the time it takes to orbit our planet. This is why the Moon always shows us the same side, a phenomenon known as rotation synchrone.
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