Moon’s Volcanic Activity: Evidence from Moon Samples

• A study published in Science suggests that the moon had active volcanoes as recently as 120 million years ago, challenging the belief that volcanic activity ceased about a billion years ago.
• The study, led by Bi-Wen Wang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, investigated moon samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 mission.
• The researchers focused on lunar glass beads, small spherical or egg-shaped glass pieces formed by volcanic activity or impact events.
• The beads are composed of silicon, magnesium, iron with trace amounts of potassium, titanium, and uranium.
• The researchers analyzed over 3,000 bead samples, examining their physical features, chemical composition, and evidence of incomplete melting.
• Three of the 13 samples were from volcanic activity, and the uranium-lead radiometric dating method was used to accurately date the materials present in the samples.
• The ages of the three volcanic samples were determined to be 116–135 million years.
• The three volcanic glass beads contained high concentrations of potassium, rare earth elements, phosphorus, sodium, and thorium, suggesting the source was rich in these elements.
• The presence of these minerals in the glass beads suggests they played a role in causing lunar volcanic activity by producing the heat required for an eruption.
• Future Chandrayaan missions could help answer the question of how volcanic activity continued for such a long time.