Jakarta –
Mysterious vibrations on the surface of the Moon suspected of being an earthquake have just been detected. This detection occurred for the first time since the 1970s.
Seismic activity on the lunar surface was detected by the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) installed on Vikram, India’s lunar rover robot. The vibrations on the Moon were detected on August 26 2023.
The Vikram lander hit the lunar south pole on August 23 as part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, India’s first mission to the lunar surface.
If it is later confirmed that it was indeed an earthquake, scientists will gain rare knowledge about the process of rotating the Moon’s interior.
First Seismic Activity Detected
The Apollo missions between 1969 and 1977 were the first to detect seismic activity on the lunar surface. This event shows that the Moon has a complex and hidden geological structure, rather than being flat with rocks like the moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos.
Quoted from Live Sciencesophisticated analysis tools and computer modeling enabled scientists to sift through data collected by Apollo and other missions to produce a clearer picture of the moon’s interior.
A study from NASA in 2011 revealed that the moon’s core is similar to Earth’s, most likely consisting of liquid iron covering a solid iron ball.
In May 2023, scientists used gravitational field data to confirm the hypothesis regarding the moon’s core. They also suggest that blobs of the moon’s molten mantle could separate from each other, floating to the surface as lumps of iron and causing earthquakes as they travel.
However, this discovery is only the beginning of the moon’s secrets. Magnetic fields are generated within planetary bodies through the movement of material in the planet’s electrically conductive liquid core.
Today, the nonmagnetic interior of the moon is very different from the magnetic interior of the earth. Scientists believe that the moon’s interior cooled fairly quickly and evenly after it formed 4.5 billion years ago. This means that the Moon does not have a strong magnetic field and many scientists believe this has never happened.
So, how is it possible that some 3 billion year old rocks taken during the Apollo missions appear to have been created in a geomagnetic field strong enough to rival Earth’s?
Chandrayaan-3 can help answer that question. However, because the mission’s lander and rover are solar powered, they are now in sleep mode until the Moon comes out of its 14-night mode. When the Sun touches the surface of the moon’s south pole on September 22, the lander and rover will search for answers.
Watch the video “This is what India found on the moon”
(nah/pal)
2023-09-08 13:30:40
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