Scientists have found granite and an abnormally warm zone on the Moon
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Scientists have discovered a block of ancient granite under the surface of the moon, which is approximately 3.5 billion years old. This rock is evidence of a type of volcanism that has not been found on the Earth’s satellite before, reports Science Alert with reference to research in Nature. Granite is abundant on Earth, but extremely rare elsewhere in the Solar System. Certain conditions are required for its formation: water, high temperature and the shift of tectonic plates, during which the material in the crust of the planet melts. “Any large granitic body we find on Earth fed a large group of volcanoes, similar to how a large system feeds the Cascade Volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest today,” says planetary scientist Matthew Ziegler of Southern Methodist University and Planetary Science. Photo: blazerrss/Depositphotos As scientists note, the formation of granite requires multi-stage remelting of basalt rock. Scientists have found a hot area under the crust in the Compton-Belkovich volcanic region, which is located near the north pole on the far side of the Moon. China’s Chang’e 1 and Chang’e 2 orbiters detected heat about 20 times higher than the average for the lunar highlands. “We found that one of these volcanoes, known as Compton-Belkovich, was absolutely glowing in the microwave. That means it’s hot, not necessarily on the surface like you see in infrared, but below the surface. The only way to explain it’s additional heat coming from somewhere below within the deeper lunar crust. So Compton-Belkovich, which is considered a volcano, also harbors a large heat source underneath,” Ziegler says. The Compton-Belkovich region is known for containing large amounts of thorium, a product of radioactive decay. The scientists’ analysis shows that radioactive elements in the granite matrix are likely the source of heat beneath it. The granite matrix is approximately 50 kilometers across. Researchers say this is evidence of an advanced magmatic plumbing system that is much larger than expected for the moon. They add that granite can also form at extreme temperatures. However, the question of the existence of water on the Earth’s satellite remains unanswered. Read also: Alien green flash: the NASA device took an unusual photo of Jupiter
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