The Passive Seismic Experiment was the first seismometer placed on the Moon’s surface. It allowed scientists to learn about the internal structure of the Moon. Credit:NASA
Last year, scientists took another look at the seismic data collected by Apollo era experiments and discovered that the lower mantle of the Moon, the part near the core-mantle boundary, is partially molten (e.g., Apollo Data Retooled to Provide Precise Readings on Moon’s Core, Universe Today, Jan. 6, 2011). Their findings suggest that the lowest 150 km of the mantle contains anywhere from 5 to 30% liquid melt. On the Earth, this would be enough melt for it to separate from the solid, rise up, and erupt at the surface. We know that the Moon had volcanism in the past. So, why is this lunar melt not erupting at the surface today? New experimental studies on simulated lunar samples may provide the answers.
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Read the rest of If the Moon Currently has Liquid Magma, Why isn’t it Erupting? (628 words)
© Irene. Antonenko for Universe Today, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Apollo, Moon
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