Is the Moon Still Alive?

Details Is the Moon Still Alive? Is the Moon Still Alive?

May 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001agusm...p21a12s&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2001, abstract #P21A-12

Mathematics

Logic

5464 Remote Sensing, 6250 Moon (1221), 8450 Planetary Volcanism (5480)

Scientific paper

The current paradigm is that the Moon has been inactive for the last 3Ga, although crater statistics indicate that thin sequences of basalts were erupted over western Procellarum as recently as 1Ga. Nevertheless the general consensus is that the Moon is dead. New advances in mapping optical maturity and composition from Clementine data combined with morphologic indicators, however, point to several endogenic features that challenge the Dead Moon Paradigm. One of the most intriguing is the Ina structure first mapped in detail by Strain and El Baz in the `70's. The Ina structure (also known as D-caldera) is about 2.9km in diameter with a maximum depth of 30m. Within the depression are small mounds that are surrounded by reflective, low-lying rubbled plains. Although proposed as endogenic, the degree of preservation of Ina was not fully appreciated. Within the Ina structure, Apollo pan photos reveal that small craters are absent and features (scarps and contacts) are extremely well preserved down to meter scales. In contrast, craters on the dated maria as large as 50-100 m would have been destroyed. The state of morphologic preservation is better than North Ray crater at Apollo 16, which was dated to 50Ma. Plots of optical maturity and composition for regions surrounding the Ina structure confirm that bright materials within the Ina structure must be exceedingly young, comparable freshly exposed crater wall materials. Consequently, the spectral data are also consistent with the degradational state and absence of a superposed crater population. The Ina structure is one of four similar structures situated around the Imbrium basin. It is suggested that they may represent diatreme-like vents connected to the deep lunar interior through deep basin faults. Although it remains uncertain if volcanic materials were released, these sites were at least centers for escaping gases that redistributed local and buried materials. This discovery could have important implications future lunar explorations.

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