A recent study published in May 2023 confirmed that the Moon’s inner core is a solid ball with a density similar to iron. This discovery helps to resolve the long-standing dispute about the state of the Moon’s core and clarify its history, as well as trace the evolution of the Solar System. The results of the study are published in Nature.
A team of scientists led by Arthur Briaud of France’s National Center for Scientific Research has proven the existence of a solid inner core, calling into question previous ideas about the moon’s magnetic field. Their research also supports the theory of global mantle overturning, which provides new evidence for the bombardment of the Moon during the first billion years of the Solar System.
Acoustic waves generated by seismic activity are the primary method for studying the internal composition of planets. The Apollo mission’s seismic data of the Moon was too low resolution to accurately determine the state of the core. Although the existence of a liquid outer core was known, the question of the inner core remained open.
Briaud and his colleagues used data from space missions and laser sensing to create a profile of the moon’s characteristics. They modeled different types of cores and found that the scenario with a solid inner core was the most likely. They also confirmed the theory of global mantle overturning, which explains the presence of certain elements in the Moon’s volcanic regions.
What is the actual composition of the Moon’s core?
The team has determined that the lunar core is similar to Earth’s: the outer liquid core has a radius of about 362 kilometers and the inner core has a radius of about 258 kilometers. This amounts to about 15% of the Moon’s radius. The inner core has a density of about 7.822 kg/m³, which is very close to the density of iron.
These findings coincide with the results obtained in 2011 by a team led by NASA Marshall planetary scientist Renee Weber, which studied the lunar core using seismological methods and found a solid core with a radius of about 240 km and a density of 8,000 kg/m³.
Briaud and his colleagues believe their study confirms previous findings and adds strong evidence that the lunar core is similar to Earth’s, which has implications for understanding the moon’s evolution.
Earlier we reported on how robots would explore the interior of Mars and the Moon with “bread crumbs”.
According to sciencealert.com
