05/29 23:13
A new study has found that volcanic eruptions on the moon’s surface billions of years ago may be behind the formation of a layer of ice under the moon’s surface.
And the lava released by these active volcanoes turned into lunar seas, which are large and dark basaltic plains that cover the lowlands of the moon. But those volcanoes also release water vapor.
They modeled, based on a massive eruption rate, averaging once every 22,000 years. Then they studied the rate at which volcanic gases escaped into space, compared to the amount of condensation, freezing, and stability on the Moon’s surface.
They found that while the atmosphere lasts, a period of time of about 1,000 years, about 15% of the water settles and forms frost, especially near the poles.
This discovery may have applications for future human missions to the moon. Finding liquid water on the Moon is increasingly important as astronauts and engineers begin to think about how to live on the Moon sustainably, without having to ship vital supplies, such as water, from Earth.
Although previous research confirmed the presence of water ice on the moon, scientists are still working to understand its location, geographical spread, the amount of lunar dust mixed and other factors that will affect the possibility of using the ice as a resource.
If the results of this work, published May 3 in The Planetary Science Journal, are confirmed, this could point to a major treasure located under the poles.
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