Space & Astronomy

Is the interior of the moon still warm ?

By T.K. Randall
October 13, 2014 ·  19 comments

Lunar volcanism may have occured relatively recently. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/USGS Scientists at Arizona State University who have been examining photographs returned by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter have discovered convincing evidence that a number of unusual rocky formations on the lunar surface were actually created by lava flows as recently as 100 million years ago.

Previously it was believed that the most recent volcanic activity on the moon occured almost a billion years earlier."The moon was more active in recent history than previously thought possible," said scientist Sarah Braden. "Young volcanism indicates possibly more magma, or magma at higher temperatures, or magma at shallower depths, or all of the above."

The discovery paints a very different picture of the moon as it is today and suggests that there could be a lot more going on below the lunar surface than was previously believed.

Source: New Scientist | Comments (19)

Tags: Moon, Volcano