The Chinese Chang’e-6 lander, shown, gathered samples from the farside of the moon in early June.
Photo Credit: NASA
New research has revealed that volcanic eruptions occurred on the Moon's far side billions of years ago, comparable to those observed on its visible side. This discovery was made through an analysis of lunar soil samples brought back by China's Chang'e-6 spacecraft, the first mission to collect and return materials from this largely unexplored lunar region.
According to papers published November 15 in Science and Nature, scientists from two independent research teams identified volcanic rock fragments in the samples. One of the pieces was determined to be approximately 2.8 billion years old, while another, even older fragment, was dated to 4.2 billion years. These findings provide evidence of prolonged volcanic activity on the far side of the Moon, an area previously lacking direct geological data.
Distinct Characteristics of the Moon's Far Side
The Moon's far side differs significantly from its near side, which faces Earth and has been better explored. While the near side features flat, dark plains formed by ancient lava flows, the far side is marked by craters and lacks similar volcanic formations. According to Qiu-Li Li, a co-author of the study from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the stark geological contrasts between the two sides remain a subject of ongoing investigation.
Earlier research, including data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, hinted at a volcanic history for the far side. However, the recent findings, published in the journals Science and Nature, offer the first physical evidence confirming such activity.
China's Lunar Missions in Focus
China has been instrumental in advancing lunar exploration. In 2019, the Chang'e-4 mission became the first to land on the Moon's far side. The Chang'e-5 mission later returned samples from the near side in 2020. The current study builds on these achievements, shedding light on over a billion years of volcanic eruptions on the Moon's hidden hemisphere. Further research is expected to clarify how and why volcanic activity persisted for such an extended period.
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