New research suggests the moon's surface remelted 4.35 billion years ago, potentially masking the moon's true age. This finding could explain a discrepancy between the ages of lunar rocks and the estimated time of the moon's formation.
The moon may have received a volcanic facelift, making it more than 100 million years older than rocks collected from its surface might suggest, a new study finds. For instance, there are rare lunar zircon minerals that suggest the moon was born about 4.5 billion years ago. In addition, many scientists who have created simulations of planetary formation suggest that a collision huge enough to create the moon was unlikely to happen a quarter-billion years after the origin of the solar system.
Although giant cosmic impacts were common in the solar system's earliest days, the orbital dynamics models suggest that most of the massive rocks behind such titanic clashes were swept up into larger bodies by about 4.4 billion years ago. Now, a new study suggests a possible explanation for this discrepancy — the lunar surface remelted 4.35 billion years ago. This would have reset the age of lunar rocks, masking the moon's true age. Much about the origin of the moon remains shrouded in mystery. Previous research suggested it formed between a collision between the newborn Earth and a Mars-size rock dubbed Theia and other means. These rocks likely crystallized from the magma ocean that covered the moon after that final giant impact. The analyses suggested the moon is about 4.35 billion years old, which is a relatively young age. In comparison, the solar system began forming about 4.6 billion years ago, or about 250 million years earlier. 'You can't necessarily use the ages recorded by rocks to tell when the moon formed,' study lead author Francis Nimmo, a planetary scientist at the University of California Santa Cruz, told Space.com. The cause of this remelting is the same kind of tidal effects that cause our planet's seas to rise and fall. Just as the moon's gravity tugs on Earth, so too does Earth's gravity pull on the moon
MOON VOLCANISM FORMATION TIDAL EFFECTS ROCKS
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Lunar Volcanic Facelift: Rethinking the Moon's AgeA new study suggests the Moon's surface may have 'remelted' 4.35 billion years ago, potentially masking its true age.
Read more »
Philippines volcanic eruption: Kanlaon volcano 'may progress to further explosive eruptions'Pandora is the trending news editor at Live Science. She is also a science presenter and previously worked as Senior Science and Health Reporter at Newsweek. Pandora holds a Biological Sciences degree from the University of Oxford, where she specialised in biochemistry and molecular biology.
Read more »
Early Moon May Have Resembled Io With Volcanic ActivityScientists suggest Earth's early Moon experienced a period of intense volcanic activity, similar to Jupiter's moon Io.
Read more »
'RHOC' star Shannon Beador settles 'shameful' facelift lawsuit with ex John Janssen“Shannon made an incredibly smart emotional and financial decision in deciding to settle this case,” her attorney, Dave Beitchman, exclusively told Page Six Tuesday.
Read more »
UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting opens up 'volcanic' anger toward health insurance agenciesActivist speaks of 'epidemic of care denials across the country.'
Read more »
Mass evacuation of Philippine villages underway after a brief but major volcanic eruptionAbout 87,000 people are being evacuated in a central Philippine region after a volcano erupted with a huge plume of ash and superhot streams of gas and debris hurtling down its slopes.
Read more »