China’s Chang’e-4 lander, which successfully touched down on the far side of the moon in January 2019, has now provided new insights into the moon’s history and composition. Images captured by the lander revealed a multitude of impact craters scattered across the moon’s surface, shedding light on its geological past.
The lander’s mission was not just limited to taking pictures. It also extracted mineral samples from the moon’s surface, allowing scientists to analyze the composition of the lunar soil. These findings were recently published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, providing valuable information about the moon’s structure.
One of the key discoveries made by the Chang’e-4 mission is the composition of the moon’s surface. The lander’s images and mineral samples revealed that the top 130 feet of the moon’s surface consists of layers of dust, soil, and broken rocks. These layers have been built up over billions of years through various geological processes.
Within these layers, researchers found a buried impact crater. This crater was formed when a large object collided with the moon, creating a depression in the lunar surface. The presence of such craters indicates a history of intense bombardment during the moon’s early formation.
Further analysis of the layers beneath the crater revealed five distinct layers of lunar lava, indicating past volcanic activity on the moon. This volcanic activity occurred billions of years ago, and it is believed to have ceased between a billion and 100 million years ago. This suggests that the moon is now “geologically dead,” lacking any active volcanoes or tectonic activity.
However, researchers still hold the possibility that there may be magma deep beneath the moon’s surface. This hypothesis raises exciting prospects for future research and exploration, as understanding the moon’s internal structure could provide valuable insights into the dynamics of other terrestrial bodies in our solar system.
The Chang’e-4 mission is not complete, and scientists are eager to continue their exploration of the moon. They plan to further map the lunar surface and investigate other potentially fascinating areas of interest. With each new discovery, our understanding of our closest celestial neighbor grows, and the mysteries of the moon begin to unravel.
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