Monday, February 27, 2012

Why is There No Volcanoes in the Moon?

Despite its many craters, the moon turned out to not have a volcano. As a result, the moon has a surface calm and not much changed. Recent studies indicate the presence of near-surface layer which prevents the formation of volcanoes on earth satellites.
Moon. (Picture from: http://www.slashgear.com/)

Conclusions regarding the barrier layer was made after the researchers from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) to test the moon rock samples. Samples obtained from the Apollo missions that took astronauts landed on the moon.

In the laboratory, researchers shot rock with high energy X-rays. Raise the temperature of firing beams of rock to be 1,650 degrees Celsius with pressure to 45 bar. These conditions of temperature and pressure to match the coat.

Analysis using computer simulations of changes that occur in the moon rocks indicate the magma is lighter than the layer above it. More interestingly, scientists from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to ensure 30 percent of the mantle layer of the moon is a liquid.

On earth, a light coat in the amount of it will lead to lesakan magma into the upper layer, which creates volcanic eruptions. But why volcanoes on the moon was formed? There must be something blocking the formation of the volcano.

ESRF researchers seeking answers to this puzzle with a glance at the findings of titanium-rich glass, which brought home an astronaut on the Apollo 14 mission. These materials produce magma with a density similar to the surrounding rocks. This type of magma could not rise to the surface.

In the moon, this works as a wall coating that blocks the movement of magma from the mantle to the surface. "Magma from the mantle can not appear on the surface because they were held by this layer," says researcher ESRF, Wim van Westrenen.

But not forever moon without volcanoes. According to researchers, the top layer and the moon continue to cool so that experiencing certain changes in the composition. This change causes the magma turns into a lighter so that it has great power to pierce the wall. *** [IO9 | ANTON WILLIAM | KORAN TEMPO 3803]
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