Were any lunar volcanos ever found?

willpittenger · Sep 10, 2006

I know that all lunar craters were thought at one time to have been volcanos. Obvisously, that is false. But are there any known real volcanos on the Moon? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

search · Sep 10, 2006

Read here: http://volcano.und.edu/vwdocs/planet_volcano/lunar/Overview.html

qso1 · Sep 10, 2006

Great link. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

willpittenger · Sep 11, 2006

Here on Earth, there are many types of volcanos. I would assume that to be the case on the Moon. I was thinking that something like Olympus Mons might existing on the Moon -- only much smaller. Such a volcano would not be impact dependant. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

3488 · Sep 11, 2006

Good question. Yes. Good examples are: 1). Marius Hills, Oceanus Procellarum (small shield volcanoes). 2). Rumker Hills, Oceanus Procellarum (small shield volcanoes). 3). Crater Alphonsus (cinder cones on floor of). 4). Gruitheisen Domes (small shield volcanoes on Mare Imbrium). 5). Hadley Rille. Apollo 15, collapsed lava tube. 6). Taurus Littrow. Apollo 17. Orange Soil. Silicate rich volcanic glass beads. 7). Possibly small shields on the central floor of Mare Orientale. 8). Possibly a small shield just to the south of the SMART 1 impact site in the 'Lake of Excellence'. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

alokmohan · Sep 11, 2006

Is there any active volcano on moon?

MeteorWayne · Sep 11, 2006

No, the mantle has solidified. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

alokmohan · Sep 11, 2006

Thaks wayne,I am relieved.

MeteorWayne · Sep 11, 2006

Even if there were any, it wouldn't affect us. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Sep 11, 2006

Hi alokmohan & Meteorwayne. Yes you are correct. There are no active volcanoes on the moon at all now. The last eruptions may have been around 3.2 Billion years ago (when the moon was about 1.4 billion years old). However some volcanic features from this period have survived asteroid & comet impacts, see my list above. The moon may have a molten iron core, but the mantle as Meteorwayne has correctly said has solidified. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

MeteorWayne · Sep 11, 2006

I wasn't sure about the status of investigations of the core, that's why I stuck to the mantle. It did pique my curiosity though, I don't recall hearing anything about the core in a few years. I'll have to check on it when time permits. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

3488 · Sep 11, 2006

Hi again. The core of the moon is thought to be about 300 KM in diameter, so quite small in relation to the size of the moon. The Mantle may resemble Earth's with an upper & lower layer (jury is still out on this). There are moonquakes (many very deep inside the moon, in the lower mantle, although there are a few weak surface ones too), mostly caused by tidal stresses as the moon's orbit around the Earth is elliptical. However, the moon is probably not totally cold throughout, as it is too large & massive to have done so as yet. Also tidal stresses with Earth will prevent total solidification (much like Io & Jupiter, but on a vastly reduced scale). The Moon's core is almost certainly molten, but inactive (no convection), & the very lower part of the mantle is likely to at least be partially molten. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

willpittenger · Sep 11, 2006

If it had a molten iron core, we might see a stronger magnetic field than we actaully do. Molten? Possibly. But not molten iron. Besides, iron would not readily be part of the Moon if the current impact formation theories for the Moon are correct. Iron is just too heavy. Earth would have gotton all the iron from both itself and the impactor. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

spartan_god · Sep 12, 2006

can earth look foreward to a fate similar to that of the moon? solidification of the mantle and becoming a dead planet?

willpittenger · Sep 12, 2006

Well, the heat has to go somewhere. However, by then, the Earth will presumably be burned to a crisp by the expanding Sun. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

3488 · Sep 12, 2006

Hi there, It is unlikely the Earth would cool down completely inside, because the pressure is too high. Since the formation of Earth, our mantle has cooled by only 15%, the inner core only 7%, so there is still a long way to go. The sun will become a Red Giant, long before the solidification process has reached even 35%. It seems the Earth will still have plate tectonics & active volcanoes certainly until the Sun becomes a Red Giant, on a reduced scale for sure (the crust will be thicker & the upper mantle will be cooler), but not stopped completely. But then when the sun becomes a Red Giant, the Earth & moon will both be covered by global oceans of molten rock anyway!! Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

alokmohan · Sep 12, 2006

Earth will remain active as before as its matle is not like moons.

3488 · Sep 12, 2006

Quite correct alokmohan. The two mantles are very different in mass & density. The chemistry is probably similar, although I have serious doubts about the imapct theory for our moon's creation. The Earth has 81 times the mass of the moon & also the Earth has a compressed density (actual density 5.518 x water. Uncompressed about 5.2 x that of water, similar to Mercury). The moon's density is uncompressed about 3.4 x that of water, closer to that of Mars, still a dense object (the second densest moon in the solar system after Jupiter's Io). Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

alokmohan · Sep 12, 2006

Is it that you call dead moon?I mean without any more volcanic activity earth will also be a dead planet.Right 3488?Can we logically say that there was never life on moon?

3488 · Sep 12, 2006

The vulcanism 3 billion or so years ago was very different & violent. This is partly the reason for why I am advocating a dedicated orbiter / lander mission to the Jupiter moon Io. The granite sheilds as you mention may be what is left of the Earth's mare regions. The lava was more fluid, so fewer tall mountains would have formed, even compressional mountains would have a hard time of it, as the crust was much thinner & mountains would initially slowly collapse under their own weight (also happening on Io right now, the mountains of Hi'iaka Patera & Boosaule Montes being good examples)!! It does look as if the Earth built up a strong crust through layer upon layer of lava flows in a relatively short period of time initially. When the Iron, Nickel & Uranium (as well as other heavy metals) seperated out & sank to form the core(s), the energy release would have re-melted the Earth's crust. The same I assume would have happended to the Moon, Mars, Venus & Mercury. 4 Vesta could be part of a basalt mantle (we'll see when the DAWN mission arrives). 1 Ceres is almost certainly differentiated, cannot wait for the DAWN mission to arrive there too. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

willpittenger · Sep 12, 2006

What do you mean by compressed and uncompressed? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

willpittenger · Sep 12, 2006

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr />The lava was more fluid, so fewer tall mountains would have formed, even compressional mountains would have a hard time of it, as the crust was much thinner & mountains would initially slowly collapse under their own weight (also happening on Io right now, the mountains of Hi'iaka Patera & Boosaule Montes being good examples)!! <hr /></blockquote> I should remind you that the Moon has a really weak gravitational field. As such, taller mountains would be more possible with the same rock than in a 1G environment. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

3488 · Sep 13, 2006

Hi willpittenger. Compressed density means that normal materials are compressed under enormous pressure. The Earth & Venus are good examples. Their cores are heavier than would normally be the case, because the 'weight' of the mantle above compresses them. With Mars, Mercury & the Moon, this is not happening. As you say the surface gravity of the moon (16.7 % of Earth's, Io 18.2% of Earth's), taller mountains could be supported on a thinner crust. If the mountains grew too tall, they would still collapse. We can see this happening on Io right now & would explain why Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Titan, Titania & Triton (I suspect Pluto, Charon & 2003 UB313 too) do not have tall mountains. Compressional mountains are like the Himalayas or the Alps, where two or more plates are colliding, forming mountains (Himalayas where the Indian sub continent is pushing northwards into central Asia. The Alps, where Africa is pushing up into Europe). Uncompressional mountains are like Mauna Kea (Hawaii, USA), Mount Teide (Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain), Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy), Mount St Helens (Washington, USA), Mount Fuji (Japan). These examples are all volcanic & grew from lava flows, ash deposits, etc. Compressional forces did not create them directly, although some volcanic mountains are founfd in the Andes, which are compressional, & fractures contained within allow lava to rise, forming volcanic peaks (Chile & Peru are good examples. I think Alaska, Mount Augustine an example too). I hope this clears things up a bit. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

alokmohan · Sep 13, 2006

Is there any plate tectonics in moon?If not how lunar volcano came in the first place?

3488 · Sep 13, 2006

Good point alokmohan. As far as we know, neither The Moon or Mars have ever had Plate Tectonics. On the face of it, it does not make sense. However, not ALL volcanoes are dependent on plate tectonics. Firstly, there are Hot Spots, hotter plumes of magma rising through the mantle. The rising plume of magma 'burns' through the crust above. The islands of Hawaii & The Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA are good examples of this. With Hawaii, the movement of the Pacific Plate over the 'Hot Spot' has created an island chain, so a volcano is active for a bit, then becomes extinct when the island moves away from the 'hot spot'. In its place a second island forms, then that moves on, then a third forms & so on, hence the Hawaii island chain in the Pacific Ocean, well away from the Pacific 'Ring of Fire'. With Yellowstone, the same is happening. The same hotspot under Wyoming was once under Idaho & created the now extinct Brunea Jarbridge caldera, which about 11 million years ago, caused a collosal mega eruption that devastated much of what is now Canada & the USA, killing vast number of animals at the time. Yellowstone itself has had three major eruptions in the last 2.2 million years. Neither example above rely on Plate Tectonics for their existence. The Tharsis & Elysium volcanoes on Mars were not reliant either. They were all hot spot volcanism. The difference there was that there was no plate movement at all, so once a volcano formed, it could grow to collosal sizes, this is why Olympus Mons, Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, Ascreaus Mons, Elysium Mons, Hecates Tholus & Albor Tholus are so huge. They never moved from above the hotspot. They only shut down when the crust of Mars got too thick for magma to rise through it & the mantle of Mars cooled to a point that it could no longer support 'hot spots'. Incidentally, the Earth could not support mountains of these sizes because the s <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

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