Posted:
15.11.2024 16:46:12
Chinese probe found traces of 2.8bn years old volcanoes on Moon’s dark side
Initial tests of rock samples brought by the Chang’e 6 robotic probe (China) from the dark side of the Moon revealed traces of volcanic rock that is estimated to be about 2.8 billion years old. It’s the evidence of surprisingly recent volcanic activity in that region of the Moon, TASS reports.
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In a paper published by the Nature magazine, researchers stated that judging from their studies of the Chang’e 6 samples, the peak volcanic activity around the probe’s landing site happened relatively recently, about 2.8 billion years ago. Together with the lunar basalts’ isotope composition, this suggests that, despite the scarcity of heat-generating elements in the lunar mantle in that area, volcanic activity in lunar seas located on the dark side of the Moon lasted for at least 1.4 billion years.
A group of Chinese researchers led by Professor Li Quili from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) came to the same conclusion when studying rock samples collected by the Chang’e 6 mission in the summer of 2024 in the Apollo crater on the far side of the Moon. Those samples were of particular value for scientists, because studying them can take mankind closer to understanding why the visible side of the Earth satellite differs so much in appearance and structure from its dark side.
In a paper published by the Nature magazine, researchers stated that judging from their studies of the Chang’e 6 samples, the peak volcanic activity around the probe’s landing site happened relatively recently, about 2.8 billion years ago. Together with the lunar basalts’ isotope composition, this suggests that, despite the scarcity of heat-generating elements in the lunar mantle in that area, volcanic activity in lunar seas located on the dark side of the Moon lasted for at least 1.4 billion years.
A group of Chinese researchers led by Professor Li Quili from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Beijing) came to the same conclusion when studying rock samples collected by the Chang’e 6 mission in the summer of 2024 in the Apollo crater on the far side of the Moon. Those samples were of particular value for scientists, because studying them can take mankind closer to understanding why the visible side of the Earth satellite differs so much in appearance and structure from its dark side.
