* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Thursday, October 23, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

    Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

    Sacramento city leaders approve adding 2 entertainment zones in midtown – CBS News

    Sacramento City Leaders Approve Two Thrilling New Entertainment Zones in Midtown

    AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

    AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

    Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

    Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

    Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

    Rydberg Technologies Inc. Announces Launch of Rydberg Photonics in Berlin – The Quantum Insider

    Rydberg Technologies Launches Exciting New Photonics Division in Berlin

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

    Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

    Sacramento city leaders approve adding 2 entertainment zones in midtown – CBS News

    Sacramento City Leaders Approve Two Thrilling New Entertainment Zones in Midtown

    AMC brings first new Dolby Experience to Gwinnett since 2017 – Wyoming News Now

    AMC Launches First New Dolby Experience in Gwinnett Since 2017

    Hetzel Design: blending architecture and entertainment – Blooloop

    Hetzel Design: Where Architecture and Entertainment Unite in Perfect Harmony

    Country music legend rushed to hospital year after heart surgery. Here’s what we know – PennLive.com

    Country Music Legend Rushed to Hospital One Year After Heart Surgery – What’s Happening Now?

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

    Strictly Come Dancing results: Chris Robshaw is eliminated while drag queen La Voix escapes dance-off – Yahoo

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

    Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

    Rydberg Technologies Inc. Announces Launch of Rydberg Photonics in Berlin – The Quantum Insider

    Rydberg Technologies Launches Exciting New Photonics Division in Berlin

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    A look into new technology at Columbia University that could help prevent a dangerous pregnancy complication – ABC7 New York

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    Office Technology: Dealers’ Managed IT Revenue up Nearly 30% – The Cannata Report –

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 E Network Technology Group Limited Closes $1.5 Million Convertible Promissory Note Offering – Quiver Quantitative

    3 Technology Stocks to Buy Now – Yahoo Finance

    3 Must-Buy Tech Stocks You Can’t Afford to Miss Right Now

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

What happened when the moon ‘turned itself inside out’ billions of years ago?

April 11, 2024
in Science
What happened when the moon ‘turned itself inside out’ billions of years ago?
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Over 4.2 billion years ago, the moon turned itself inside out to create the lunar surface that has become familiar to humanity. 

Most scientists would agree the moon was created around 4.5 billion years ago, when another massive body in the solar system smashed into Earth, flinging molten material into space that coalesced as our natural satellite.

How the birth of the moon proceeded after this violent start, however, has been described as “more of a choose-your-own-adventure novel” by a team of scientists from the University of Arizona’s Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL).

They say there are many possible paths Earth’s natural satellite could have taken to form in full, ultimately leading to the moon-Earth system we see today. The team of course has its own ideas about the major incidences that might have formed the moon. The researchers say rock samples collected during the Apollo mission, for instance, may indicate there was a time when the moon “flipped inside out.”

This result, if true, might also solve a lingering mystery about the moon’s composition. 

Related: A chunk of the ‘protoplanet’ that made the moon may be stuck near Earth’s core

“Our moon literally turned itself inside out,” research co-author and LPL associate professor Jeff Andrews-Hanna said in a statement. “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 in the details of what went down — literally.”

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Titanium on the near side of the moon?

Basaltic lava rocks brought back from the moon have shown surprisingly high concentrations of titanium. In addition to this, satellite observations have revealed that titanium-rich volcanic rocks are primarily located at the lunar nearside. This left scientists scratching their heads about how these particular rocks got there and aren’t more widely dispersed.

The University of Arizona team suggests the moon formed rapidly, leaving it entirely covered with a hot magma ocean at first. As this ocean cooled and hardened, it would have formed the outer layers of the moon, including its mantle and crust. Yet, at lower layers, the infant moon would have still been in turmoil. 

Models of moon formation suggest the last remains of this giant lunar ocean crystallized into dense materials including ilmenite, a mineral rich in iron and titanium. 

“Because these heavy minerals are denser than the mantle underneath, they create a gravitational instability, and you would expect this layer to sink deeper into the moon’s interior,” said research leader and former LPL doctoral candidate Weigang Liang, said. 

Three diagrams of the moon, slightly overlain.

(Left) a “traditional” lunar view (center) mare region is surrounded by a polygonal pattern of linear gravity anomalies (right) blue patches indicate vestiges of dense material that sank into the interior of the moon. (Image credit: Adrien Broquet/University of Arizona)

Questions remain: Would this material sink all at once as a single “blob” after the moon solidified, or a little at a time as smaller blobs? And, if it sank within the interior of the moon on a global scale, how did some of it rise to carry titanium to the moon’s nearside?

“Without evidence, you can pick your favorite model,” researcher co-lead author and German Aerospace Center scientist Adrien Broquet said in the statement. “Each model holds profound implications for the geologic evolution of our moon.”

Co-author and Peking University scientist Nan Zhang previously developed models that suggested a giant impact on the moon could have caused a dense layer of titanium-rich material beneath the crust to shift to its nearside. Once there, this material would have sunk, formed sheet-like slabs and cascaded to the interior of the moon, leaving a remnant beneath the crust in the form of intersecting bodies of dense titanium-rich deposits. 

“When we saw those model predictions, it was like a lightbulb went on,” Andrews-Hanna said. “We see the exact same pattern when we look at subtle variations in the moon’s gravity field, revealing a network of dense material lurking below the crust.”

The GRAIL of moon formation models

To solidify its molten theories of titanium-rich ilmenite material and observations of the moon, the team turned to data surrounding lunar gravity anomalies detected by NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) dual-spacecraft mission.

“Analyzing these variations in the moon’s gravity field allowed us to peek under the moon’s surface and see what lies beneath,” Broque said.

This confirmed that GRAIL data conforms with ilmenite layer simulations. 

Such confirmation also showed that gravity-field observations could be used to trace the distribution of ilmenite remnants left behind after a majority of the dense layer had sunk to the deep interior of the moon. 

“Our analyses show that the models and data tell one remarkably consistent story,” Liang said. “Ilmenite materials migrated to the nearside and sunk into the interior in sheet-like cascades, leaving behind a vestige that causes anomalies in the moon’s gravity field, as seen by GRAIL.” 

An artist's illustration shows two solar-winged spacecraft connected by wiggly lines representing communication. The lines extend to Earth; the spacecraft float above the moon.

Artist’s concept of NASA’s Grail mission. Grail’s twin spacecraft are flying in tandem orbits around the moon to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail.  (Image credit: NASA/JPL)

The team was also able to determine when the moon flipped inside out. They say the interruption of gravity anomalies by large and ancient lunar impact basins indicates the ilmenite-rich layer sank prior to these impacts. This “cross-cutting” means the sinking event would have happened earlier than 4.22 billion years ago, indicating that the sinking could have triggered volcanism, which was seen at later times across the lunar surface.

This research also adds nuance to an interesting picture of the moon we see today. The overturn of the lunar mantle billions of years ago would have led to the creation of a dark region known as the Oceanus Procellarum region, as well as on the side of the moon close to Earth. 

This area of the moon is lower in elevation and has a thinner crust that’s mostly blanketed by lava flows unlike the thicker crust of far side regions of the moon. It also has a higher concentration of rare elements like titanium and thorium. “The moon is fundamentally lopsided in every respect,” Andrews-Hanna said. “For the first time, we have physical evidence showing us what was happening in the moon’s interior during this critical stage of its evolution, and that’s really exciting.

“It turns out that the moon’s earliest history is written below the surface, and it just took the right combination of models and data to unveil that story.” 

Broquet added: “The vestiges of early lunar evolution are present below the crust today, which is mesmerizing.

“Future missions, such as with a seismic network, would allow a better investigation of the geometry of these structures.” 

The findings could also help inform future investigations of our loyal lunar companions if and when, in 2025, NASA’s Artemis III mission returns humanity to the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions drew to an end 50 years ago. 

“When the Artemis astronauts eventually land on the moon to begin a new era of human exploration,” Liang concluded. “We will have a very different understanding of our neighbor than we did when the Apollo astronauts first set foot on it.”

The team’s research is published in the journal Nature Geoscience.

Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: [email protected].

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Space.com – https://www.space.com/moon-inside-out-billions-years-ago

Tags: happenedscienceTurned
Previous Post

Could these big expandable habitats help humanity settle the moon and Mars?

Next Post

See Jupiter close to a crescent moon (Mars near Saturn, too) in the ‘View a Planet Day’ night sky

Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease – Nature

Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease – Nature

October 23, 2025
Condensation defying gravity – European Space Agency

Condensation defying gravity – European Space Agency

October 23, 2025
Guest educators bring fun environmental science to Kent middle school – MyEasternShoreMD

Guest Educators Ignite Passion for Environmental Science at Kent Middle School

October 23, 2025
Equity Lifestyle Properties, Inc. Profit Rises In Q3, Beats Estimates – Nasdaq

Equity Lifestyle Properties Delivers Impressive Q3 Profit, Exceeding All Expectations

October 23, 2025
Next steps: Technology opens new options for greater mobility – Missouri Independent

Next Steps: How Technology is Opening Exciting New Doors to Greater Mobility

October 23, 2025
American Football Betting Market Report 2025, with Profiles of ESPN, Caesers Entertainment, Entain, Fanatics Sports Betting, Betfred and Other Major and Innovative Companies – Yahoo Finance

American Football Betting Market Report 2025, with Profiles of ESPN, Caesers Entertainment, Entain, Fanatics Sports Betting, Betfred and Other Major and Innovative Companies – Yahoo Finance

October 23, 2025
UIPM 2025 Obstacle World Championships (OCR): All you need to know – Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne (UIPM)

Your Ultimate Guide to the 2025 Obstacle World Championships

October 23, 2025
PPPs in Bolivia: The future of our economy? – Dentons

Could PPPs Unlock Bolivia’s Path to Economic Prosperity?

October 23, 2025
Reba McEntire Details Personal Relationship With Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock – KNDU

Reba McEntire Shares Emotional Tribute to Her Late Stepson Brandon Blackstock

October 23, 2025
Mark Peterson receives inaugural APSA Career Achievement Award in Health Politics and Policy – UCLA

Mark Peterson receives inaugural APSA Career Achievement Award in Health Politics and Policy – UCLA

October 23, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (882)
  • Economy (903)
  • Entertainment (21,774)
  • General (17,757)
  • Health (9,944)
  • Lifestyle (916)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (904)
  • Politics (913)
  • Science (16,114)
  • Sports (21,403)
  • Technology (15,883)
  • World (886)

Recent News

Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease – Nature

Vibrio pectenicida strain FHCF-3 is a causative agent of sea star wasting disease – Nature

October 23, 2025
Condensation defying gravity – European Space Agency

Condensation defying gravity – European Space Agency

October 23, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version