HomeAstronomy & SpaceScientists discovers new data about Moon’s past

Scientists discovers new data about Moon’s past

Scientists say that the periodic lava has created a layer on Moon’s surface billions of years ago and this ancient layer of lava can provide new insights of the Moon’s deep past. Tieyuan Zhu, a geophysics professor of Penn State University says that the buried layer under the surface of Moon is called paleoregolith and his team has found interesting data by careful analysis of this layer. He says that this layer is much thicker than scientists have previously expected.

Zhu also added this layer have remained undisturbed since its formation. So, it can provide us with valuable data about early asteroid impact and volcanic history of the moon.

A team of scientists working under Zhu have studied the radar data collected by China’s Chang’e 3 mission in 2013. As this mission performed first direct ground radar measurements on the moon.

The researchers found out a thick layer of paleoregolith, which is nearly 16 to 30 feet thick, is there between two layers of lava rock, which is probably 2.3 to 3.6 billion years old. The new findings prove that paleoregolith formed much faster than it was previously thought.

Moon has experienced volcanic activity several times in its past. The lava has created a solid rock on Moon’s surface and over time it breaks into dust and soil which scientists call regolith. Regolith has impacted space weathering and got buried by subsequent lava flows.

Previously, Yutu rover sent electromagnetic pulses into Moon’s deeper level of the surface and recorded its echoing back. The new team of researchers have developed a four-step data processing flow to bring improvement in this data.

The scientists found out changes in polarity as they sent the electromagnetic pulses through the dense lava rock and paleoregolith, they got a clear picture of the Moon’s soil’s different layers through their reaction to the electromagnetic pulses.

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