China's Chang'e 5 mission has brought new insight into the Moon's volcanic history, suggesting that the volcanic activity might have taken place much sooner than previously believed. Samples of lunar soil, returned to Earth in 2020, contain glass beads formed by volcanic eruptions just 120 million years ago. This is a significant discovery, as it challenges the long-held belief that lunar volcanism ended around 3 to 3.8 billion years ago. The recent findings could change our understanding of the Moon's evolution, revealing that volcanic activity occurred far more recently than previously thought.
Evidence from Chang'e 5's Samples
The evidence comes from tiny glass beads found in the lunar soil collected by Chang'e 5 near Mons Rümker in Oceanus Procellarum. These beads, according to a study led by Bi-Wen Wang and Qian Zhang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, were formed during volcanic eruptions around 123 million years ago, with a margin of error of 15 million years. Despite their small size, these beads provide concrete proof that volcanic eruptions continued on the Moon much later than we previously assumed, according to a Space.com report.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's Support
This finding aligns with earlier observations from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which captured images of irregular mare patches (IMPs) on the Moon's surface in 2014. These features, small volcanic mounds, appear to be less than 100 million years old, suggesting recent volcanic activity.
A Possibility of Ongoing Activity
Scientists are now investigating whether the Moon could still be volcanically active today. The presence of heat-generating elements, such as thorium and rare earth elements, in these volcanic glass beads might explain how molten rock could still exist within the Moon's mantle, raising the possibility of continued volcanic outgassing.
While this remains speculative, it opens up new questions about the Moon's geological state.
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