Researchers: Volcanoes on the moon recently active



by Ben Hooper



Tempe, Ariz. (UPI) Oct 13, 2014



Data collected by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter indicates moon volcanoes were active more recently than previously thought, researchers said.

John Keller, LRO project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, released a statement saying the LRO satellite found evidence volcanic activity on the moon slowed gradually over time rather than stopping abruptly about one billion years ago.

Keller said rock deposit evidence detected by LRO appears to be as young as 100 million years old, while others could be as young as 50 million years old.

"This finding is the kind of science that is literally going to make geologists rewrite the textbooks about the moon," Keller said.

Mark Robinson, a planetary scientist with Arizona State University, Tempe, and co-author of a study based on the LRO findings, said the formations indicate volcanic eruptions could happen again on the moon, but not necessarily anytime soon.

"I doubt if I'll live long enough to see it happen," he said.