A recent study found evidence of volcanic activity as recent as 120 million years ago.

New Discovery Reveals Ongoing Volcanic Activity on the Moon

• Previous Belief: Scientists believed the moon’s volcanic activity stopped about a billion years ago.
• Importance: The new discovery helps understand the moon’s surface, atmosphere, and tectonic activity. 

Key Findings

• Study by Chinese Scientists:

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• • Researchers analyzed lunar glass beads from China’s Chang’e-5 mission.
    • These beads are created by volcanic eruptions or impact events like asteroid strikes.
      • The beads are spherical because it requires the least energy to form this shape, similar to water droplets in space or on Earth.
    • Composition: These beads contain silicon, magnesium, and iron, with small amounts of potassium, titanium, and uranium.
• Glass Beads Analysis:
  • The team studied 3,000 beads focused on their physical and chemical composition.
    • They conducted sulfur isotope analysis to determine their origins.
      • 3 samples were found to be from volcanic activity.
• Dating the Activity:
  • Using uranium-lead radiometric dating method, the volcanic activity was dated to 116–135 million years ago.
• Significance of Sulphur:

• • The use of sulphur isotope ratios was a new method to study volcanic activity, as sulphur is released during eruptions.
    • This method is not commonly used in identifying materials from celestial bodies.
  • Typically, scientists rely on carbon, oxygen, and lead analyses, but sulfur is more effective due to its release during volcanic activity as sulfur dioxide gas.
    • Isotopes are atoms of the same element with different neutron counts.
      • Analyzing isotope ratios helps determine the origin of the samples.
    • The presence of elements like potassium and thorium in the beads suggests these minerals helped fuel volcanic eruptions.

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