Chinese study reveals long-term volcanic activity on the moon

Last June, China's Chang'e 6 spacecraft achieved a unique historical achievement by successfully bringing back the first surface samples from the far side of the moon, the side that is never visible from Earth. Chinese scientists soon began analyzing the samples that were sent to special centers in the country.

According to a recent study published in the journal Nature, preliminary results reveal mysterious volcanic activity on the surface of the moon, which was once a flame of fire covered in lava as seen in Earth's sky.

Volcanic activity in early stages of formation

The far side of the Moon is a long-standing mystery that has yet to be fully explored, and this is the first time scientists have obtained soil samples from these unseen regions. The samples were collected from the Moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin and weigh about 1.9 kilograms.

The South Pole Basin is the result of an ancient impact and is one of the oldest and most diverse areas on the Moon's surface. It is also an ideal area for discovering traces of volcanic activity, which was an essential part of the Moon's early geological history.

The samples revealed pieces of basaltic volcanic rocks, whose ages were determined with high precision to be from two different periods in the moon's history: the first dating back to 4.2 billion years ago, and the second to 2.8 billion years ago.

The samples also show that volcanic activity has continued for at least 1.4 billion years, reflecting a phase when the moon was more geologically active than it is today.

How to stop volcanic activity forever?

Volcanoes are a common phenomenon among planets that have a solid crust, such as Earth, where the heat from internal melting causes molten rock to be ejected to the planet's surface.

As for the Moon, volcanic activity was initially driven by the decay of radioactive elements and the heat left over from its formation, which was enough to keep the crust molten for a long time.

Over time, the heat sources began to decrease and diminish, which led to the cessation of volcanic activity on the surface of the moon. The cooling process was faster than expected due to the small size of the moon compared to the Earth, which contributed to the gradual end of volcanic activity.

In addition, volcanic activity on the moon was affected by the decrease in heat within its crust, and the moon's magnetic field also began to deteriorate over time, which reduced the ability of magma (volcanic lava) to reach the surface, and accordingly, volcanic eruptions stopped completely.

(Al Jazeera Net)