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Using isotope dating and a technique based on it lunar crater chronologyInvolving estimating the age of an object in space by partially counting the craters on its surface, the team determined that as recently as 2 billion years ago, lava flowed in Oceanus Procellarum.
Chang’e 5 was China’s first lunar sample return mission and the first probe to return lunar material since 1976. It will be released in late November and Coming back in early December 2020One of at least eight stages in China’s program to explore the entire Moon.
Nemchin says there is no evidence that heat-producing radioactive elements (like potassium, thorium and uranium) are present in high concentrations below the moon’s mantle. This means that these elements probably didn’t cause these lava flows, as scientists think. Now they will have to look for other explanations for how the flows are formed.
The Moon’s volcanic history can teach us more about Earth’s. According to the giant impact theory, the Moon could be part of the Earth that was ejected when our planet collided with another planet.
“Every time we get new or improved information about the age of objects on the Moon, it has a knock-on effect to understanding not just the universe but volcanism and even general geology on other planets,” he says. Paul ByrneAssociate professor of earth and planetary sciences at Washington University in St.
Volcanic activity not only shaped what the moon looks like—these ancient lava deposits can be seen today as huge dark spots on the moon’s surface with the naked eye—it may even help answer the question of whether we’re alone in the universe, Byrne said.
“The search for extraterrestrial life requires an understanding of habitability in part,” says Byrne. Volcanic activity plays a role in cultivating atmospheres and oceans, which are essential components for life. But we’ll see what exactly these new findings tell us about potential life elsewhere.
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