Geologists from Brown University have found a strange volcanic activity on the South Pole of the moon which they say is unlike anything else on the lunar surface. The volcanic formation, known as the Mafic mound, is about 2,600 feet tall and 47 miles across.
The formation is found in the middle of the moon's South Pole-Aitken Basin, and researchers said that based on a handful of data, a colossal impact which formed the basin itself may have resulted to this unique kind of volcanic process.
In a study issued in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Daniel Moriarty, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. student in the university's Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences department, said that if the scenarios the team laid out for the formation are correct, it could potentially represent a new volcanic process that has never been seen before.
The Mafic mound was first discovered in the 1990s by a planetary geologist named Carle Pieters who also happens to be Moriarty's adviser. Researchers said that what made the Mafic mound unique aside from its size is that its mineralogical composition is different from the rocks surrounding it. The Mafic mound is rich in high-calcium pyroxene, while some of the rocks surrounding it are low-calcium.
"This unusual structure at the very center of the basin begs the question: What is this thing, and might it be related to the basin formation process?" Moriarty said.
In this study, the researchers gathered and analyzed chemical, topographical and gravitational data from different lunar space explorations. They assessed mineralogical data from the Moon Mineralogy Mapper, topographic data from NASA's Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter, and data from the GRAIL mission which characterized gravitational inconsistencies in the region.
"It's the largest confirmed impact structure in the solar system and has shaped many aspects of the evolution of the Moon," Moriarty added. "So a big topic in lunar science is studying this basin and the effects it had on the geology of the Moon through time."
Geologists hope that further mantle samples could be acquired from the moon to help ongoing research, but it will be a long time before a lunar mission returns to the crater.
