The Far Side of the Moon Once Had Erupting Volcanoes Too

NEW YORK: Volcanoes were erupting on mysterious far side of moon billions of years ago just like on side that we can see, new research confirms.

Researchers analyzed lunar soil brought back by China’s Chang’e-6, first spacecraft to return with a haul of rocks and dirt from little-explored far side.

Two separate teams found fragments of volcanic rock that were about 2.8 billion years old. One piece was even more ancient, dating back to 4.2 billion years.

“To obtain a sample from this area is really important because it’s an area that orwise we have no data for,” said Christopher Hamilton, a planetary volcano expert at University of Arizona who was not involved with research.

Scientists know re were active volcanoes on near side, part of moon seen from Earth, dating back to a similar time frame. Previous studies, including data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, suggested far side might also have a volcanic past. first samples from that region facing away from Earth confirm an active history.

China has launched several spacecraft to moon. In 2020, Chang’e-5 spacecraft returned moon rocks from near side, first since those collected by NASA’s Apollo astronauts and Soviet Union spacecraft in 1970s. Chang’e-4 spacecraft became first to visit moon’s far side in 2019.

moon’s far side is pockmarked by craters and has fewer of near side’s flat, dark plains carved by lava flows. Why two halves are so different remains a mystery, said study co-author Qiu-Li Li from Chinese Acemy of Sciences.

Li said new findings reveal over 1 billion years of volcanic eruptions on lunar far side. Future research will determine how activity lasted so long.

(This story is not edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed)