Astronomers have made a surprising new discovery about the evolution of the Moon, with experts agreeing on the estimate that it emerged about 4.5 billion years ago.
The new study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience — discovered that more than 4.2 billion years ago, the Earth's natural satellite turned inside out and finally formed its outer surface.
Experts analyzed lunar rock samples collected by the Apollo mission and may have solved the mystery surrounding the lunar composition.
LPL Associate Professor and study co-author Jeff Andrews-Hanna said in a statement: “Our moon literally turned inside out, but there has been little physical evidence to shed light on the exact sequence of events during this critical phase.” of lunar history, and there is a lot of disagreement on the details of what happened, literally.
The experts also found a high concentration of titanium in the basaltic lava rock samples.
Satellite observations also showed titanium-rich volcanic rocks located on the near side of the Moon, puzzling scientists about how they got there.
A team from the University of Arizona believed that when the Moon was born, it was covered by an ocean of hot magma, which gradually cooled and formed the outer layers, such as the crust and mantle.
“Because these heavy minerals are denser than the mantle beneath, they create gravitational instability, and this layer would be expected to sink deeper into the moon's interior,” said lead researcher Weigang Liang.
