Uncovering the Moon’s Magmatic Underground Pathways

For millennia, the moon has fascinated humanity with its craters and dark plains. One of its most intriguing regions is the Oceanus Procellarum. While it’s not a body of water like an ocean we can find on Earth, this massive dark area of the Moon’s surface holds clues to volcanic activity that took place billions of years ago.

New research using advanced data from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission has uncovered previously unknown details about what’s hidden beneath this lunar mare, also called the Ocean of Storms.?

Oceanus Procellarum is the largest fossilized lava field created after a series of volcanic eruptions that shaped the Moon’s surface. Using gravity mapping data, a team of researchers, including TII’s Dr. Meixia Geng, Dr. Qingjie Yang, Dr. Chaouki Kasmi, along with Dr. J. Kim Welford from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Dr. Alexander L. Peace from McMaster University have released the first comprehensive 3D density model beneath the Oceanus Procellarum. The model reveals significant connectivity between various volcanic systems: the northern and southern Marius Hills volcanic systems are connected by lateral magmatic conduits and are further connected to Procellarum western border structures. This discovery offers the first evidence of long-distance lateral magma transport on the Moon. Previously, lunar magmatic processes were thought to predominantly involve the vertical ascent of magma through dykes originating in deep mantle sources. This research provides a transformative perspective on lunar magmatism, deepening our understanding of the dynamic processes.?

Hidden Magma Pathways

The research paper, untitled “Unveiling Magmatic Structures and Connectivity Beneath the Lunar Oceanus Procellarum Region from GRAIL Gravity Data,” and recently officially accepted for publication in Nature Communications, reveals three long, horizontal magmatic structures. The structures resemble underground pipes beneath the surface that connected three volcanic systems in the lunar Oceanus Procellarum region. These hidden sheeted magmatic structures are interpreted as magmatic conduits, stretch up to 150 kilometers and can be as deep as 6 to 7 kilometers below the surface. These magmatic conduits likely served as central pathways facilitating magma transport across various volcanic systems.

The discovery of magmatic conduits could explain the mystery of the compositional distinctions between the Marius Hills Volcanic Complex (MHVC) domes and the younger surrounding mare flows. It suggests that the younger mare flows may have originated from deep feeder dykes beneath the western border of the Procellarum KREEP Terrane (PKT) and were transported to the MHVC region through these newly identified magmatic conduits. The study also identified a number of magmatic bodies of various volumes beneath many craters. Moreover, two anomalies are interpreted as previously undiscovered craters that were filled and buried by volcanic processes. These discoveries suggest that magma accumulation beneath craters is likely a common process on the Moon influencing lunar surface evolution and volcanic activity. Innovation Opportunities

This research has broad implications for science, exploration and our future.

It sheds light on the complex subsurface dynamics of lunar magmatism, enhancing our knowledge of the Moon’s volcanic history and its magma plumbing system. It reveals new aspects of the Moon’s history: While the Moon has no active volcanoes today, it did billions of years ago. These new findings help explain how volcanic activity operated on the Moon.

The study is critical to understand the Moon’s geological features. It offers valuable insights for future lunar resource exploration, particularly in identifying areas rich in resources and regions of scientific interest. The discovery of magmatic networks can guide scientists’ future missions, helping them choose where to land and explore.

These results also underscore the effectiveness of advanced geophysical methodologies, demonstrating their applicability in planetary science, and contribute to the advancement of planetary exploration and resource utilization. The advanced 3D imaging methodology developed during this study can be leveraged to refine geophysical analysis tools, enhancing TII’s portfolio of explorations solutions.

This study marks only the beginning, raising important questions for future exploration, such as whether similar connectivity exists in other regions of the Moon. Gaining a deeper understanding of these lateral magma transport mechanisms is essential for advancing our knowledge of lunar volcanic processes and should become a central focus of future research and missions.For now, these discoveries remind us that the Moon is a dynamic place with a rich history and that the Ocean of Storms tells a story of magma and transformation that continues to shape our exploration of the universe.

Check out the research paper:

Unveiling Magmatic Structures and Connectivity Beneath the Lunar Oceanus Procellarum Region from GRAIL Gravity Data

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-54692-2?utm_source=rct_congratemailt&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=oa_20241127&utm_content=10.1038/s41467-024-54692-2