For centuries, we’ve viewed the Moon as dead, its surface frozen in time since ancient volcanic activity faded billions of years ago. However, new research suggests this might not be entirely true. A study published in The Planetary Science Journal reveals that our Moon lives—or at least has been geologically active much more recently than we once believed.
Scientists from the University of Maryland (UMD) have identified 266 small ridges on the far side of the Moon—a region we never see from Earth. These formations, called mare ridges, appear to be significantly younger than previously expected.
Estimating the age of these ridges, the researchers believe that the most recent movement of the Moon’s geological structures may have occurred just 14 million years ago—a mere blink of an eye in the Moon’s expansive 4.5-billion-year history. This discovery could mean that the Moon still lives, though it isn’t nearly as active as it once was.
This, of course, challenges long-held beliefs that lunar activity ended around 3 billion years ago when the Moon’s molten surface cooled. Scientists previously believed the only changes after this time came from meteor impacts. However, these ridges cut through much younger impact craters, indicating that tectonic activity continued within the last 200 million years.
The ridges were found around lunar maria, large, dark plains formed by ancient volcanic lava flows. Scientists believe these maria were created when asteroid impacts triggered massive lava eruptions billions of years ago.
The far side of the Moon was bombarded more heavily than the near side, leading researchers to assume it cooled and solidified faster. But these new ridges suggest that internal movement continued much later and that the Moon may still live.
That last point is extremely importantly, as it raises more questions and the evidence points towards another revelation—the Moon is still contracting as it slowly cools. This causes surface wrinkles similar to those seen on a shrinking apple.
But is the Moon still changing today? Does it still live? Perhaps future manned missions to the Moon will help us determine that or—at the least—provide us with more data to investigate.
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