Treacherous ridges: the moon may not be "geologically dead" at all
Soil structures found on the back of the moon indicate that the moon was still geologically active a comparatively short time ago – or even still is.
Some of the ridges
(Image: Tom Watters, Smithsonian Institution)
A research group from the USA has found evidence that the moon is actually not as geologically “dead” as previously assumed. On the side facing away from Earth, they have examined more than 250 elongated elevations that must have formed comparatively recently, writes the University of Maryland. It is even possible that the regions in which the structures occur are still active. There have been similar indications before. The team suspects that a combination of the slow shrinking of the moon and changes in its orbit could be responsible for the formation of the ridges. The researchers are hoping for manned missions to carry out more precise analyses.
Treacherous number of craters
As planetologist Jaclyn Clark, who was involved in the study, explains, researchers actually assume that most geological movements on the moon took place between two and a half and three billion years ago. However, the ridges on the back of the moon only appear to have formed in the last 200 million years, which is “relatively new” for the moon. Her team discovered this using a technique that counts the number of craters in an area. The older an area is, i.e., the longer ago underground movements occurred, the more time the respective area has had to collect craters. However, it is also telling that some ridges cut directly through craters and must therefore be younger.
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Interestingly, the ridges on the side facing away from the Earth have counterparts on the side facing us, the team writes. This at least suggests that the processes responsible for this are the same. It can also be assumed that there is a connection to the weak moon quakes measured by the astronauts on the Apollo mission. Further insights into the background could therefore also be important for the planned return of mankind to the moon, the team suspects. The movements could be investigated using ground radar, for example. The analysis of the surveys is now being presented in The Planetary Science Journal.
(mho)
