Geologists have him 2018found a large cache of granite in an unlikely place — the far side of the moon.
With so many kitchens boasting long polished slabs on their countertops, we likely take for granted our granite. But the rock is virtually nonexistent elsewhere in the solar system, or so scientists have thought.
Before this discovery, only small grains have turned up in the more than 800 pounds of lunar samples hauled back from space by the NASA Apollo missions.
"Typically, granites require either plate tectonics or water-bearing magmas to form," said Timothy Glotch, a geologist at Stony Brook University, in a statement. "While the lunar interior contains small amounts of water, the Moon has never undergone plate tectonics."
The discovery, published in the science journal Nature, presents quite a mystery, suggesting that the 30-mile-wide granite trove on the moon formed through a geological process not yet understood. NASA plans to explore the region, the Compton-Belkovich volcanic complex and Gruithuisen Domes, with a rover in 2026.
SEE ALSO: NASA is back in the moon business. Here's what that means.This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
On Earth, granite rocks are part of the plumbing found beneath extinct volcanoes. They form when underground molten lava rises to the planet's crust but doesn't erupt and then cools.
Any large deposit of granite found on Earth once fed a cluster of volcanoes, such as the Cascade volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest, said Matthew Siegler, a planetary scientist at Southern Methodist University, who led the research.
The group of scientists think the lunar granite had to have been there for some 3.5 billion years, when the moon had active volcanoes. The large shadowy-looking spots on the moon — the ones that look kind of like a face, for example — are the maria, areas of ancient lava flows. They're thought to have formed early in the moon's history.
NASA's Galileo spacecraft captures the darkened maria on the moon, areas of ancient lava flows, in 1992. Credit: NASA / JPL / USGS Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Light Speed newslettertoday.
The research team used data from the Chinese Chang'E lunar orbiters to find extra heat below the surface of a region thought to once host an ancient volcano. The source may have been granite's high levels of radioactive elements, such as uranium and thorium, according to the new paper.
"The only solution that we can think of which produces that much heat is a large body of granite," Siegler said.
Scientists think domes formed on the moon with magma rich in silica, similar to granite. Credit: NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University NASA plans to investigate the summit of one of the moon's Gruithuisen Domes, under the Commercial Payload Services Program, which was established in 2018 to recruit the private sector to help deliver cargo and instruments to the moon. The upcoming missions will support NASA's lunar ambitions, while also attempting to kickstart a future cislunar economy, based on business ventures on and around the moon.
Scientists think the lunar domes formed with magma, rich in silica, similar to granite. On Earth, though, these features need oceans and plate tectonics to form. The space agency hopes moondust samples taken from the top will offer new clues.
Topics NASA
WhyHunger, Yoko Ono and Hard Rock International Team Up for ‘Imagine There’s No Hunger’ Campaign
Carl Reiner, beloved comedy legend, is dead at 98
There's a Twitter campaign to get Trump out of office using your spare change
Facebook will warn you when you share old news
Spirit in San Diego
Top Twitch streamer Dr. Disrespect was mysteriously banned
'Hamilton' burnishes its own legacy on Disney+: Review
Verizon decides Facebook doesn't need its ad money after all
Free Hawaii Comedy Screening at Nibei Foundation
Tesla Model S touchscreen problem could affect up to 63,000 cars
Sharing His 'Heroic Idealism'
Amazon renames Seattle NHL stadium the 'Climate Pledge Arena'
Why Google Maps might lose EV owners to Apple Maps (seriously)
Safari 14 will let you log into password
Kazuo Masuda VFW Post 3670 Holds Memorial Day Service
Apple's iOS 14 lets you tap the back of your iPhone to perform actions
Best tech books of 2020 (so far)
Safari 14 will let you log into password
Photographer Goes ‘Back to California’
Best tech books of 2020 (so far)
Rams Fans to Cheer Super Bowl Champs at LA Victory ParadeLennon's Killer Denied Parole for 12th TimeBlack Ops 2 just hit a major milestone that will make you feel oldChef Nakayama Profiled in Book for Young ReadersAsian American Leaders Rally Around MP CandidateJapan Space Agency Rocket Carrying 8 Satellites FailsTerasaki, Cronin to Be Honored at UCLA APA GalaBonta: State DOJ to Investigate L.A. City Council Redistricting ProcessKatari Program to Return to Manzanar in NovemberRafu Shimpo Stop Asian Hate Project This teeny Londoners can now get travel alerts sent straight to their Twitter DMs Meet the team of refugees set to compete at the Rio Olympics Joe Biden to survivor of rape at Stanford: 'Your words are forever seared on my soul' Someone fixed the statement made by the father of Stanford's convicted rapist Little kid answers honestly when asked why we need families Clinton's viral burn: When the adults in the room start acting like trolls The left explodes at media after Hillary Clinton declared presumptive nominee 6 'Harry Potter and the Cursed Child' clues that won't spoil the story Hillary Clinton hits Donald Trump with ultimate Internet burn
0.1932s , 10087.9140625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【him 2018】There's granite on the moon. No one knows how it got there.,Feature Flash
