In 2020, Chinese researchers mapped the first 40 meters below the surface of the Moon using records from the Yutu-2 LPR rover. Scientists managed to increase the surface depth of the uncovered surface from 40 meters to 305 meters. Thus, interesting developments took place for the scientific world.
Several hidden structures appeared under the lunar surface
These building layers are thought to be volcanic rocks left behind after the lava cooled by meteor and asteroid impacts. The researchers shared their findings in the Journal of Geophysical Research. The findings reveal the previously unknown billions of years of our satellite’s history.
These Moon surface maps were made possible by the Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR) aboard China’s Chang’e-4 rover, which became the first spacecraft to successfully land on the far side of the Moon in 2019. Now, using LPR, Chang’e-4 has given researchers the opportunity to look deeper into your satellite than ever before.
New data obtained by LPR shows that the first 40 meters of our satellite’s subsurface consists of numerous layers of dust, soil and broken rock. From that point onwards, layers of volcanic rock were seen, first thin and then much thicker, as they moved deeper into the Moon’s surface.
The thinner and newer layers show that the lava flow was much thinner during more recent eruptions, according to the scientists. This sheds light on when volcanic activity on the Moon took place.
While this discovery seems in line with the prevailing theories that most volcanic activity on the Moon ended about a billion years ago, some evidence also suggests eruptions about 100 million years ago. The satellite is often considered “geologically dead” as the eruptions have stopped, so having a subsurface map of the Moon can help to know for sure.
In conclusion, discovering these hidden structures beneath the surface of the Moon is exciting because there is still so much we don’t know about our planet’s moon. Luckily, Chang’e-4 isn’t done yet. We expect to see more discoveries from the Chinese rover as we continue to explore and study our lunar satellite, and we’ll likely find out more when Artemis III lands on the moon later this decade.
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