A recent discovery shows that the moon's far side was volcanically active. A team of geologists found a large granite deposit beneath a long-extinct lunar volcano, supporting the theory that the moon's surface glowed with lava billions of years ago.
The lunar find was under Compton-Belkovich, a rumored volcanic structure on the moon's surface. The feature is thought to have developed from the lava that cooled after fueling the violent eruptions of lunar volcanoes some 3.5 billion years ago, according to Space.com.
Although the discovery of volcanic leftovers in this area was not predicted, the study team was taken aback by the extent of the cooled magma patch. Its breadth is around 31 miles (50 kilometers) wide. This large mass of granite in the Compton-Belkovich volcanic complex may shed light on how the lunar crust formed early in the moon's history.
The study used data gathered by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and Planetary Science Institute researcher Matthew Siegler led the team of scientists. Data analysis revealed temperatures under Compton-Belkovich's surface, revealing the production of heat that could only be linked to radioactive elements contained in granite on the moon.
When lava cools without erupting, it congeals into underground rock formations known as "batholiths," typically found in the plumbing systems of volcanoes and composed of igneous rock granite, per Head Topics.
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Planetary Scientists Find Large Granite Formation on Moon’s Far Side - The feature known as Compton-Belkovich Volcanic Complex likely formed from cooling molten lava that fed a volcano/volcanoes that erupted approximately 3.5 billion years ago.
Challenging Past Theories
Only a few tiny granite grains had previously been discovered among the more than 800 pounds of lunar samples that NASA's Apollo missions had returned to Earth. The discovery contradicts previously held beliefs since plate tectonics or water-bearing magmas, neither of which have occurred on the moon, is usually necessary for the production of granites.
This puzzling discovery shows that the granite reservoir on the moon formed due to an unidentified, enigmatic geological process. In 2026, NASA intends to launch a rover to investigate the area around the Gruithuisen Domes and the Compton-Belkovich volcanic complex to discover the secrets that lie beneath, Mashable reported.
Granite rocks, which form on Earth from molten lava that rise to the planet's crust but cools before exploding, are often discovered under extinct volcanoes. Matthew Siegler, the principal investigator from Southern Methodist University, claims that substantial granite deposits have historically fueled groups of volcanoes, such as the Cascade volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest.
Experts believe that the maria, or face-like dark areas seen on the moon's surface, are old lava flows that erupted during the moon's early past.
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