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Scientists, in a first, have completely mapped the surface of the Moon. The radiant geological map has been released by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with NASA and the Lunar Planetary Institute.
Hankering for an in-depth look at the 4.5-billion-year-old history of Earth’s nearest neighbor? Well, the #USGS has just released the most detailed geologic map of the moon ever created. Start digging around & see what you can discover. https://t.co/Tel2GgoIzo pic.twitter.com/2QFscMItUY
– USGS (@USGS) April 20, 2020
Described as the geological blueprint of the lunar surface, the map is known as the ‘Unified Geologic Map of the Moon’. Scientists created the digital map by combining data from six Apollo-era regional maps using a geographic information system (GIS) software. But in addition to preserving this old data, scientists also used new data.
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The map also combined data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), data on north and south poles from the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) and equatorial region data from JAXA’s SELENE / Kaguya lunar orbiter. In the end, scientists were able to come up with a unified description of the stratigraphy (the study of rock layers) on the moon which resolved issues that made previous maps inconsistent.
For the first time, all the surface geological features were mapped consistently leading to a map consisting of 43 geologic units across the entire lunar surface. The digital map has been released online and shows almost every detail of the moon’s geology with the help of a vivid color scheme in 1: 5,000,000 scale. There is even an animated version of the map.
Lead researcher of the study, Corey Fortezzo from the USGS explained, “It [the map] provides vital information for new scientific studies by connecting the exploration of specific sites on the moon with the rest of the lunar surface. ”
SEE ALSO: NASA Releases The First Geological Map Of Saturn’s Moon Titan
Image Credit: NASA / GSFC / USGS
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