Moon

Earth's gravity may have helped sustain lunar volcanism, a study finds

Earth's gravitational pull may have helped keep the Moon's interior hot enough for volcanic activity long after its formation, according to a study reported by Universe Today. The paper, published in the journal Planet, proposes tidal heating as a possible explanation for the Moon's prolonged volcanic history.

The question gained urgency after China's Chang'e-5 mission returned lunar basalt, a volcanic rock, that was dated to about 2 billion years ago. The Moon formed around 4.5 billion years ago and, because of its relatively small size, was expected to cool rapidly, Universe Today reports.

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Chang'e-5 rocks raised a heat question#

The samples came from Oceanus Procellarum, according to Universe Today. Their volcanic origin points to conditions hot enough to produce basalt much later than traditional geological theory would have suggested for the Moon.

The Moon's surface also preserves broad lava plains, as well as volcanic domes and cones, according to Wikipedia's account of lunar volcanism. The plains consist mainly of basaltic lava flows and contain features associated with cooling lava.

The Chang'e-5 rocks renewed questions about how the Moon stayed warm enough to make magma long after its early development, The Brighter Side of News reports. The simulations offer a possible explanation, rather than a settled answer.

The model concentrates heat deep inside#

Tidal heating occurs when orbital or rotational energy is converted into heat through friction, according to Wikipedia. In an elliptical orbit, changing tidal forces deform a body as it travels, generating friction inside it. The Brighter Side of News reports that changing tidal stress repeatedly flexes the Moon's interior.

Miao Chen and Da Wang of Chengdu University of Technology led the study, The Brighter Side of News reports. Yun Liu of the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences also worked on it. Their simulations suggest tidal heat could have gathered where the Moon's core meets its mantle.

The researchers modeled mantle convection, a slow movement of rock driven by differences in temperature and density, according to The Brighter Side of News. Their three-dimensional calculations included radioactive and tidal heating, while adjusting the rock's resistance to flow as its temperature changed.

In separate lunar research, University of Louisiana at Lafayette biologist Karl Hasenstein studied how water behaves under lunar gravity, The Advocate reports. For future lunar habitats, the findings could guide irrigation designs that consider water's movement against surfaces.

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