LRO spacecraft photographed an unusual raised area at the bottom of the Aristarchus crater. According to planetologists, it could have been formed as a result of relatively recent volcanic activity.
When we look at the Moon, the first thing we see is its seas. This is the name given to the characteristic dark areas that occupy almost a third of the visible side of the moon. They are huge basaltic plains formed by grand eruptions that raged on the Moon billions of years ago.
Until recently, it was thought that lunar volcanism began to wane about 3 billion years ago and had completely ceased by our time. However, after the LRO spacecraft entered orbit around the Moon, it photographed many very unusual landforms, designated IMPs (Irregular Mare Patches). One of them is captured in the above photo.
Planetary scientists are in a fiery debate over IMPs. According to the most popular version, they are of volcanic origin and represent frozen lava flows. However, the question remains about their age, which is quite difficult to determine. Some scientists believe that it is measured in billions of years. Other researchers believe that IMPs are much younger. This is indicated by the fact that they are covered with a small number of craters. And the formation, photographed by LRO, is located inside Aristarchus Crater, whose age is estimated to be only a few hundred million years old. Some researchers have tried to explain the formation of the structure by the consequences of the fall of ejected material, but this is contradicted by the absence of similar landforms in similar craters.
The theory that the Moon is still volcanically active may be tipped in favor of the scale by data from China’s Chang’e-5 mission. In 2021, it delivered to Earth rock samples collected near Mons Rümker, an isolated volcanic complex believed to be younger than other lunar volcanoes.
Analysis of the samples collected by Chang’e-5 showed that their average age is 2 billion years. This is much younger than the age of the lunar seas. They also found individual beads of volcanic glass, only 123 million years old. This, and the LRO images, support the suggestion that even in modern times, small eruptions can still occur on the Moon.
Provided by LROC
