What can glass beads collected from the lunar surface more than 50 years ago teach scientists about the Moon’s volcanic history? This is what a recent study published in Icarus hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated orange glass beads collected by the Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972 to better understand the volcanic evolution of the Moon. This study has the potential to help scientists gain greater insight into the formation and evolution of the Moon and what this could mean for the formation and evolution of Earth.
For the study, the researchers analyzed glass beads from Apollo drive tube 74001 and Apollo 17 74220 orange beads that measure smaller than 100 nanometers (1 x 10-7 meters) using sophisticated laboratory equipment. The goal of the study was to analyze gas deposits on the surfaces of the beads to better understand volcanic gas clouds that existed before the beads were created. In the end, the researchers found that the ancient volcanic cloud contained hydrogen and sulfur, and the cloud composition changed between when the orange beads were deposited on the lunar surface and when the black beads were deposited.
Microscopic image of lunar volcanic beads. (Robinson & Taylor, Nature Geoscience, 2014)
“The very existence of these beads tells us the moon had explosive eruptions, something like the fire fountains you can see in Hawaii today,” said Dr. Ryan Ogliore, who is an associate professor of physics in the Department of Physics at Washington University in St. Louis and a co-author on the study.
Better understanding of the Moon’s volcanic history provides greater understanding of the Earth’s history due to the two planetary bodies being tidally locked, indicative of the volcanic activity occurring on the Earth-facing side of the Moon. This tidal locking results in Earth’s axial tilt being stable enough for the climate to stay under control and enabling life on the Earth to survive and thrive.
What new discoveries will these orange glass beads teach scientists about the volcanic history of the Moon in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Icarus, ScienceDaily
