New research suggest that substantial amounts of water are trapped in ancient volcanic deposits on the moon.
“The moon’s interior is water-rich.”
According to scientists evidence from ancient volcanic deposits suggests that lunar magma contained large amounts of water.
Above image credit Olga Prilipko Huber
The moon’s mantle is surprisingly water-rich. Yellows and reds indicate the richest water content. Credit Milliken Lab / Brown University
Ralph Milliken, lead author of the study, explains:
“That thermally emitted radiation happens at the same wavelengths that we need to use to look for water. So in order to say with any confidence that water is present, we first need to account for and remove the thermally emitted component.
The distribution of these water-rich deposits is the key thing. They’re spread across the surface, which tells us that the water found in the Apollo samples isn’t a one-off.”
The moon’s surface. Credit wikimedia
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