Tiny volcanoes continued to erupt on Moon after the bigger ones died down

Moon experienced volcanic eruptions till as recently as 120 million years ago, research has found. The revelation was made following the analysis of a lunar sample collected by the Chang’e‑5 mission. Earlier studies had pegged the timing of volcanic activities from about 4.4 to 2.0 billion years ago.

Apollo, Luna, and Chang’e‑5 missions had found widespread basaltic volcanism on the Moon during these times. Turns out they were missing something. The latest study of glass beads has revealed that the Moon was volcanically active for a much longer time than previously suspected. However, these were smaller and localised eruptions that were caused by radioactive elements.

Bi-Wen Wang, Qian W.L. Zhang, and colleagues studied more than 3000 tiny glass beads that were present in a lunar sample collected by Chang’e‑5. They analysed their chemical compositions, physical textures, and sulfur isotopes to divide the beads produced by potential volcanic activity from those produced by meteorite impacts.

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Only three of those beads were found to have volcanic origin. Radiometric dating was used to determine the volcanic beads formed 123 ± 15 million years ago. They were found to contain huge amounts of potassium, phosphorus, and rare-earth elements, known as KREEP elements.

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These elements were responsible for creating small, localised volcanoes on the Moon, the research suggests. KREEP elements are known to produce radioactive heating. When heating occurs in a small area due to KREEP elements, rocks in the Moon’s mantle might melt. This then leads to small amounts of magma erupting to the surface, the researchers suggest.

Volcanism on Moon

Moon has been volcanically active for most of its lifetime, The first eruptions happened somewhere around 4.2 billion years ago. Its most intense period was between 3.8 and 3 billion years ago. The Moon no longer has any active volcanoes, however, there is likely an ocean of magma under its surface.

India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, which landed on the lunar surface on August 23, 2023, also found evidence of magma on the Moon. The Pragyan rover found anorthosite rocks at a site which scientists believe had an ancient ocean of magma that covered the lunar surface some four billion years ago.