Ancient Lunar Volcanic Eruptions Identified on Moon’s Far Side

Volcanic eruptions occurred on the enigmatic far side of the Moon billions of years ago, as discovered by US and Chinese researchers. An examination of specimens gathered during a Chinese mission revealed fragments of basalt, a volcanic rock created following an eruption, which are over 4.2 billion years old. These discoveries were released in the Nature and Science publications on Friday. Although researchers were already aware of volcanic activity on the Moon’s near side, visible from Earth, the “dark side” (far side) exhibits distinct geological characteristics and largely remains uninvestigated. The Chang’e-6 spacecraft gathered the rock and dust samples, marking the initial retrieval from the Moon’s far side, after an almost two-month expedition that involved significant hazards. Under the guidance of specialists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the scientists employed radiometric dating techniques to ascertain the age of the volcanic material. Furthermore, their investigation uncovered evidence of a “surprisingly young” eruption that took place approximately 2.83 billion years ago, a phenomenon not observed on the Moon’s near side. Professor Qiuli Li of the Institute of Geology and Geophysics commented in a comprehensive peer review, stating: “This is an incredibly exciting study”. Li added: “It is the first geochronology study to come from the Chang’e-6 samples, and will be of immense importance to the lunar and planetary science community.” Although commonly referred to as the “dark side,” this lunar region receives abundant sunlight; it simply remains out of our view. This occurs because the Moon is tidally locked with Earth, completing its orbit around our planet in approximately 27 days, which results in the same hemisphere consistently facing us. The Soviet spacecraft Luna 3 captured the initial image of the far side in 1959. These images were indistinct but offered inhabitants of Earth a novel perspective of the Moon. Since then, numerous higher-resolution images have been transmitted, including a remarkable Nasa video depicting the Moon from its far side, with Earth visible in the backdrop. Furthermore, earlier this year, during the Chang’e-6 mission, a compact roving vehicle was deployed to capture a self-portrait of the lander positioned on the far side’s rugged terrain. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external links is available.