IT'S OVER 30 MILES IN DIAMETER.
NASA / FUTURISM
Radioactive Moon Rock
Scientists have discovered a large, radioactive granite formation underneath the surface of the far side of the Moon — and according to a new paper, this unexpected rock formation might offer researchers some clues about our Moon's long history.
In the paper, which was published this week in the journal Nature, the researchers posit that the existence of the subsurface granite suggests that the less-studied far side of the Moon, which always faces away from the Earth, once housed one or several volcanoes, which erupted around 3.5 billion years ago early in the Moon's history.
"Any big body of granite that we find on Earth used to feed a big bunch of volcanoes," said study co-author Matthew Siegler, a Southern Methodist University professor and Planetary Science Institute researcher, in a statement.
Taken for Granite
Subsurface igneous rock deposits left behind by cooling volcanoes called batholiths "are much bigger than the volcanoes they feed on the surface," added Siegler. "For example, the Sierra Nevada mountains are a batholith, left from a volcanic chain in the western United States that existed long ago."
To determine the chemical makeup of the radioactive lunar deposit, the researchers used microwave frequencies to measure the compound's geothermal activity. They were able to deduce from the data that the deposit contained certain radioactive elements that could only be attributed to granite.
Still, the results were a bit of a surprise. Though the region of the Moon where the mystery rock was discovered — often referred to as the Compton-Belkovich "anomaly" — contains a known volcanic complex, granite has rarely been found on the Moon.
The newly-discovered hunk of granite, however, is pretty huge and measures over 30 miles in diameter.
"The surprising magnitude and geographic extent of this feature imply an Earth-like, evolved granitic system larger than believed possible on the Moon," the researchers wrote in the paper.
Despite the fascinating new findings, scientists may be left with more questions than answers.
"If you don't have water it takes extreme situations to make granite," Siegler said. "So, here's this system with no water, and no plate tectonics — but you have granite. Was there water on the moon — at least in this one spot? Or was it just especially hot?"
Scientists Find Mysterious Radioactive Rock On The Dark Side Of The Moon
By TeeJay Small |
The Moon
According to a write-up in The Source, NASA scientists have uncovered a massive radioactive moon rock on the dark side of the moon, which could help unlock ancient secrets about the satellites’ history and formation. The rock is made out of granite, which, when found on the surface of the Earth, generally indicates a volcano’s presence or former presence.
Scientists may have found the remnants of a volcano on the dark side of the Moon.
While scientists have not officially concluded that there are ancient remnants of a volcano on the moon’s dark side, it sure would make for an incredible secret lair for the next James Bond villain.
The existence of granite within the moon’s subsurface certainly seems to suggest that the far side of the moon, which always faces away from the Earth, once contained volcanoes, which could have erupted to form the moon rock over 3.5 billion years ago. This places the eruption fairly early in the history of the moon’s existence, as the leading scientific theory suggests that the moon was originally formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago.
According to a write-up in The Source, NASA scientists have uncovered a massive radioactive moon rock on the dark side of the moon, which could help unlock ancient secrets about the satellites’ history and formation. The rock is made out of granite, which, when found on the surface of the Earth, generally indicates a volcano’s presence or former presence.
Scientists may have found the remnants of a volcano on the dark side of the Moon.
While scientists have not officially concluded that there are ancient remnants of a volcano on the moon’s dark side, it sure would make for an incredible secret lair for the next James Bond villain.
The existence of granite within the moon’s subsurface certainly seems to suggest that the far side of the moon, which always faces away from the Earth, once contained volcanoes, which could have erupted to form the moon rock over 3.5 billion years ago. This places the eruption fairly early in the history of the moon’s existence, as the leading scientific theory suggests that the moon was originally formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago.
The Moon
The hypothesis, often referred to as the Theia Impact or simply the Big Splash, suggests that the moon was once a part of the Earth’s surface before splitting into the atmosphere. This split was caused, as the Big Splash asserts, by a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized planet sometime between 20 million to 100 million years after the Solar System first formed. This means that, like all of the moon, the volcanoes that formed the moon’s rock were once found on our planet’s surface.
One theory that would explain volcanos under the lunar surface is that the Moon splintered off of Earth close to the birth of the solar system.
While human beings have done several cursory explorations of the Moon’s surface since the first steps onto the lunar orbiter in 1969, no human has ever stepped on the dark side. This is due to both the complete absence of light and the increased difficulty for sending and receiving communications.
Humans have seen the dark side in person while orbiting the moon, and the various NASA probes have provided us with a great deal of information about the dark side’s surface, such as the subterranean moon rock.
The hypothesis, often referred to as the Theia Impact or simply the Big Splash, suggests that the moon was once a part of the Earth’s surface before splitting into the atmosphere. This split was caused, as the Big Splash asserts, by a collision between Earth and a Mars-sized planet sometime between 20 million to 100 million years after the Solar System first formed. This means that, like all of the moon, the volcanoes that formed the moon’s rock were once found on our planet’s surface.
One theory that would explain volcanos under the lunar surface is that the Moon splintered off of Earth close to the birth of the solar system.
While human beings have done several cursory explorations of the Moon’s surface since the first steps onto the lunar orbiter in 1969, no human has ever stepped on the dark side. This is due to both the complete absence of light and the increased difficulty for sending and receiving communications.
Humans have seen the dark side in person while orbiting the moon, and the various NASA probes have provided us with a great deal of information about the dark side’s surface, such as the subterranean moon rock.
Radioactive Rocks On The Moon Leave Scientists With More Questions
NASA scientists were able to determine the chemical composition of the radioactive moon rock by measuring microwave frequencies and testing for the existence of geothermal activity. From these tests, scientists could extrapolate certain radioactive signatures only present in granite structures, such as those left on Earth by massive volcano ranges. The hunk of granite apparently ranges 30 miles in diameter, with no telling just how much more of the material is buried deep within the moon’s core.
Like all great scientific discoveries, this moon rock may actually leave scientists with more questions than answers. Granite is extremely difficult to form without water, leaving some scientists to wonder if water could be trapped beneath the moon’s surface, which has been a long-held theory in the scientific community. There are also no tectonic plates present within the moon, and the reduced gravity would render the existence of flowing lava difficult to comprehend.
There's granite on the moon. No one knows how it got there.
The rock is thought to be virtually nonexistent outside of Earth.
By Elisha Sauers on July 8, 2023
In 2026, NASA plans to explore a region where granite was detected on the moon with a rover.
Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University
Geologists have found a large cache of granite in an unlikely place — the far side of the moon.
With so many kitchens boasting long polished slabs on their countertops, we likely take for granted our granite. But the rock is virtually nonexistent elsewhere in the solar system, or so scientists have thought.
Before this discovery, only small grains have turned up in the more than 800 pounds of lunar samples hauled back from space by the NASA Apollo missions.
"Typically, granites require either plate tectonics or water-bearing magmas to form," said Timothy Glotch, a geologist at Stony Brook University(opens in a new tab), in a statement. "While the lunar interior contains small amounts of water, the Moon has never undergone plate tectonics."
The discovery, published in the science journal Nature, presents quite a mystery(opens in a new tab), suggesting that the 30-mile-wide granite trove on the moon formed through a geological process not yet understood. NASA plans to explore the region, the Compton-Belkovich volcanic complex and Gruithuisen Domes(opens in a new tab), with a rover in 2026.
Geologists have found a large cache of granite in an unlikely place — the far side of the moon.
With so many kitchens boasting long polished slabs on their countertops, we likely take for granted our granite. But the rock is virtually nonexistent elsewhere in the solar system, or so scientists have thought.
Before this discovery, only small grains have turned up in the more than 800 pounds of lunar samples hauled back from space by the NASA Apollo missions.
"Typically, granites require either plate tectonics or water-bearing magmas to form," said Timothy Glotch, a geologist at Stony Brook University(opens in a new tab), in a statement. "While the lunar interior contains small amounts of water, the Moon has never undergone plate tectonics."
The discovery, published in the science journal Nature, presents quite a mystery(opens in a new tab), suggesting that the 30-mile-wide granite trove on the moon formed through a geological process not yet understood. NASA plans to explore the region, the Compton-Belkovich volcanic complex and Gruithuisen Domes(opens in a new tab), with a rover in 2026.
On Earth, granite rocks are part of the plumbing found beneath extinct volcanoes. They form when underground molten lava rises to the planet's crust but doesn't erupt and then cools.
Any large deposit of granite found on Earth once fed a cluster of volcanoes, such as the Cascade volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest, said Matthew Siegler, a planetary scientist at Southern Methodist University(opens in a new tab), who led the research.
The group of scientists think the lunar granite had to have been there for some 3.5 billion years, when the moon had active volcanoes. The large shadowy-looking spots on the moon — the ones that look kind of like a face, for example — are the maria(opens in a new tab), areas of ancient lava flows. They're thought to have formed early in the moon's history.
NASA's Galileo spacecraft captures the darkened maria on the moon, areas of ancient lava flows, in 1992.
Credit: NASA / JPL / USGS
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The research team used data from the Chinese Chang'E lunar orbiters to find extra heat below the surface of a region thought to once host an ancient volcano. The source may have been granite's high levels of radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium, according to the new paper.
"The only solution that we can think of which produces that much heat is a large body of granite," Siegler said.
Scientists think domes formed on the moon with magma rich in silica, similar to granite. Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University
NASA plans to investigate(opens in a new tab) the summit of one of the moon's Gruithuisen Domes, under the Commercial Payload Services Program, which was established in 2018 to recruit the private sector(opens in a new tab) to help deliver cargo and instruments to the moon. The upcoming missions will support NASA's lunar ambitions, while also attempting to kickstart a future cislunar economy, based on business ventures on and around the moon.
Scientists think the lunar domes formed with magma, rich in silica, similar to granite. On Earth, though, these features need oceans and plate tectonics to form. The space agency hopes moondust samples taken from the top will offer new clues.
Elisha Sauers
Elisha Sauers is the space and future tech reporter for Mashable, interested in asteroids, astronauts, and astro nuts. In over 15 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for FOIA and other public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland, now known as The Capital-Gazette. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show(opens in a new tab), and national recognition(opens in a new tab) for narrative storytelling. In her first year covering space for Mashable, Sauers grabbed a National Headliner Award(opens in a new tab) for beat reporting. Send space tips and story ideas to elisha.sauers@ziffmedia.com(opens in a new tab) or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on Twitter at @elishasauers(opens in a new tab).
Why 2023 should be dubbed 'Year of the Lunar Landers'
NASA is back in the moon business. Here's what that means.
NASA picked its moon astronauts. Here's what they'll do.
How a NASA moon mission survived a death spiral in space
The research team used data from the Chinese Chang'E lunar orbiters to find extra heat below the surface of a region thought to once host an ancient volcano. The source may have been granite's high levels of radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium, according to the new paper.
"The only solution that we can think of which produces that much heat is a large body of granite," Siegler said.
Scientists think domes formed on the moon with magma rich in silica, similar to granite. Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University
NASA plans to investigate(opens in a new tab) the summit of one of the moon's Gruithuisen Domes, under the Commercial Payload Services Program, which was established in 2018 to recruit the private sector(opens in a new tab) to help deliver cargo and instruments to the moon. The upcoming missions will support NASA's lunar ambitions, while also attempting to kickstart a future cislunar economy, based on business ventures on and around the moon.
Scientists think the lunar domes formed with magma, rich in silica, similar to granite. On Earth, though, these features need oceans and plate tectonics to form. The space agency hopes moondust samples taken from the top will offer new clues.
Elisha Sauers
Elisha Sauers is the space and future tech reporter for Mashable, interested in asteroids, astronauts, and astro nuts. In over 15 years of reporting, she's covered a variety of topics, including health, business, and government, with a penchant for FOIA and other public records requests. She previously worked for The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, Virginia, and The Capital in Annapolis, Maryland, now known as The Capital-Gazette. Her work has earned numerous state awards, including the Virginia Press Association's top honor, Best in Show(opens in a new tab), and national recognition(opens in a new tab) for narrative storytelling. In her first year covering space for Mashable, Sauers grabbed a National Headliner Award(opens in a new tab) for beat reporting. Send space tips and story ideas to elisha.sauers@ziffmedia.com(opens in a new tab) or text 443-684-2489. Follow her on Twitter at @elishasauers(opens in a new tab).
BURIED ON THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON, THE DETECTION OF A MYSTERIOUS HEAT-EMITTING OBJECT LEADS TO AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY
(NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)
MICAH HANKS·JULY 7, 2023
It sounds like the plot of a science fiction film: scientists detect odd emissions coming from the far side of the Moon, leading to the discovery of something buried under the lunar surface that fundamentally reshapes how we see Earth’s natural satellite and its history.
However, the recent detection of a large, heat-emitting mass buried beneath the far side of the Moon is no scene from science fiction in this case. It is among a series of observations made by satellites in lunar orbit that suggest that Earth’s Moon may have a history much more like our planet than scientists once realized.
“We have discovered extra heat coming out of the ground at a location on the Moon believed to be a long dead volcano which last erupted over 3.5 billion years ago,” reports Matt Siegler, Ph.D., of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona.
Siegler, the lead researcher on a new study conducted by an international team that examined data collected from China’s Chang’E 1 and 2 lunar orbiters, along with supplemental data obtained by NASA’s Lunar Prospector and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiters, says the discovery of the unusual object beneath the Moon’s far side initially baffled the research team.
“To tell the truth we were a bit puzzled when we found it,” Siegler said in a statement. Fortunately, his wife Rita Economos, Ph.D., a geochemist and one of the researchers involved in the study, was able to help provide context that allowed the team “to piece together the probable geologic cause of the heat anomaly.”
Based on the data, Sigler says the mysterious object is likely an ancient granite formation.
“It’s around 50km across, and the only solution that we can think of which produces that much heat is a large body of granite,” Siegler said.
(NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)
MICAH HANKS·JULY 7, 2023
It sounds like the plot of a science fiction film: scientists detect odd emissions coming from the far side of the Moon, leading to the discovery of something buried under the lunar surface that fundamentally reshapes how we see Earth’s natural satellite and its history.
However, the recent detection of a large, heat-emitting mass buried beneath the far side of the Moon is no scene from science fiction in this case. It is among a series of observations made by satellites in lunar orbit that suggest that Earth’s Moon may have a history much more like our planet than scientists once realized.
“We have discovered extra heat coming out of the ground at a location on the Moon believed to be a long dead volcano which last erupted over 3.5 billion years ago,” reports Matt Siegler, Ph.D., of the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona.
Siegler, the lead researcher on a new study conducted by an international team that examined data collected from China’s Chang’E 1 and 2 lunar orbiters, along with supplemental data obtained by NASA’s Lunar Prospector and Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiters, says the discovery of the unusual object beneath the Moon’s far side initially baffled the research team.
“To tell the truth we were a bit puzzled when we found it,” Siegler said in a statement. Fortunately, his wife Rita Economos, Ph.D., a geochemist and one of the researchers involved in the study, was able to help provide context that allowed the team “to piece together the probable geologic cause of the heat anomaly.”
Based on the data, Sigler says the mysterious object is likely an ancient granite formation.
“It’s around 50km across, and the only solution that we can think of which produces that much heat is a large body of granite,” Siegler said.
Region on the far side of the moon (indicated in red) where anomalous heat emissions were detected (Credit: Siegler at al, Nature July 2023).
Granite is formed when magma contained within a volcano that hasn’t yet erupted cools and solidifies. As a result of its formation, granite possesses significant concentrations of uranium, thorium, and other radioactive elements, which makes it very distinct from other stony materials found on the Moon.
Siegler says this makes it likely that a massive, below-ground granite formation is behind the anomalous heat emissions on the lunar surface that satellites have detected.
The granite mass was detected using a newly devised method of remote sensing that enabled the satellites in orbit around the Moon to measure geothermal heat emanating from its surface.
“This data showed a high geothermal gradient exactly coincident with a large 20 km wide silicon-rich surface feature believed to be an extinct volcanic caldera,” Siegler said in a statement. The formation is located between the Compton and Belkovich craters, and the area where the granite mass is believed to be located was revealed to be close to 10 C warmer than its surrounding terrain.
Siegler and the team believe the heat emission arises from the radiogenic materials that are present within granitic formations. Although they have narrowed down the likely composition of the mysterious lunar formation, the discovery came as a surprise since granites are not a common feature in our Solar System beyond our planet.
However, past missions to the Moon dating back to the Apollo era did previously reveal samples of granitic material recovered from the lunar surface.
Economos said that the mass is believed to be the remnants of unerupted magma contained within an ancient volcano, otherwise known as a batholith.
“El Capitan and Half Dome, in Yosemite in California are examples of similar granite rocks which have risen to the surface,” Economos said in a statement.
The team says this unexpected discovery on the far side of the Moon now suggests that similar discoveries could be made elsewhere on the Moon or even in other regions of the Solar System. However, according to Siegler, the fundamental takeaway from the discovery is that the Moon and its history are probably more like Earth than scientists previously realized.
Siegler called the granite mass “more Earth-like than we had imagined can be produced on the Moon, which lacks the water and plate tectonics that help granites form on Earth.”
In addition to shedding light on the Moon’s more Earth-like qualities, Siegler and the team say that the discovery also showcases the capabilities of remote sensing, which he says “will be useful in the exploration of other planetary bodies in the Solar System.”
Siegler and his team’s paper, “Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton–Belkovich,” was recently published in the journal Nature, and their work will be presented on July 12th at the forthcoming Goldschmidt Conference in Lyon, France.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on Twitter: @MicahHanks.
Granite is formed when magma contained within a volcano that hasn’t yet erupted cools and solidifies. As a result of its formation, granite possesses significant concentrations of uranium, thorium, and other radioactive elements, which makes it very distinct from other stony materials found on the Moon.
Siegler says this makes it likely that a massive, below-ground granite formation is behind the anomalous heat emissions on the lunar surface that satellites have detected.
The granite mass was detected using a newly devised method of remote sensing that enabled the satellites in orbit around the Moon to measure geothermal heat emanating from its surface.
“This data showed a high geothermal gradient exactly coincident with a large 20 km wide silicon-rich surface feature believed to be an extinct volcanic caldera,” Siegler said in a statement. The formation is located between the Compton and Belkovich craters, and the area where the granite mass is believed to be located was revealed to be close to 10 C warmer than its surrounding terrain.
Siegler and the team believe the heat emission arises from the radiogenic materials that are present within granitic formations. Although they have narrowed down the likely composition of the mysterious lunar formation, the discovery came as a surprise since granites are not a common feature in our Solar System beyond our planet.
However, past missions to the Moon dating back to the Apollo era did previously reveal samples of granitic material recovered from the lunar surface.
Economos said that the mass is believed to be the remnants of unerupted magma contained within an ancient volcano, otherwise known as a batholith.
“El Capitan and Half Dome, in Yosemite in California are examples of similar granite rocks which have risen to the surface,” Economos said in a statement.
The team says this unexpected discovery on the far side of the Moon now suggests that similar discoveries could be made elsewhere on the Moon or even in other regions of the Solar System. However, according to Siegler, the fundamental takeaway from the discovery is that the Moon and its history are probably more like Earth than scientists previously realized.
Siegler called the granite mass “more Earth-like than we had imagined can be produced on the Moon, which lacks the water and plate tectonics that help granites form on Earth.”
In addition to shedding light on the Moon’s more Earth-like qualities, Siegler and the team say that the discovery also showcases the capabilities of remote sensing, which he says “will be useful in the exploration of other planetary bodies in the Solar System.”
Siegler and his team’s paper, “Remote detection of a lunar granitic batholith at Compton–Belkovich,” was recently published in the journal Nature, and their work will be presented on July 12th at the forthcoming Goldschmidt Conference in Lyon, France.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work at micahhanks.com and on Twitter: @MicahHanks.
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