Seconds Theory On Evolution Of Mountains On Lunar Surface

 

Mumbai: The Indian moon mission, Chandrayaan-I, has confirmed an important theory relating to the evolution of the moon’s mountains which has been a subject of intense debate and discussion in scientific circles over the years.

A recent report in the Science journal of the American Association of Science says a particular hypothesis about the lunar highlands known as the “lunar magma ocean” – which had gained support from the later Apollo missions – has now been confirmed by the Chandrayaan mission. The mission lifted off on October 22, 2008.

 

The report says, “Our moon’s bright highlands set against dark seas of frozen lava have undergone centuries of ever closer scrutiny. But it was not until scientists could put the moon soil under the microscope that they had any idea from where the highlands came from. The highlands, some decided, were the remains of ‘rocky scum’ that floated to the top of a churning ocean of moon-girding magma soon after the celestial body was formed.”

 

Piyush Pandey, the director of Nehru Planetarium, described magma on the moon as liquified rock when it were under some sort of pressure. “When the pressure was released at one point the magma was released and surfaced from the cracks,” he said.

 

An Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) official told TOI on Tuesday that the Science report assumes significance in the context of several theories being propounded relating to the origin of the moon and particularly its mountains. He said the current finding has endorsed the “magma ocean hypothesis” relating to the evolution of the lunar highlands.

 

The credit for endorsing the theory goes to Nasa’s Moon Minerology Mapper (M3) one of the payloads on board Chandrayaan. Carle Pieters of Brown University, the principal investigator of M3, has reported that “the entire inner rock mountains is anorthosite (rocks)”. “That validates the magna ocean,” she said.