The geology of the moon is very different from Earth. The moon has barely any atmosphere, which means there is no weather on the planet. This makes it so the geology tends to remain unchanged, as there is no erosion that takes place like it does on Earth. The moon’s geology therefore tends to remain constant. Additionally, the moon does not have tectonic plates, while the Earth does. Tectonic plates are responsible for causing earthquakes and volcanoes, and because the moon lacks tectonic plates, it does not have any seismic activity. The moon also has much lower gravity than Earth, so astronauts on the moon’s surface would be able to jump much higher and would weigh less than they do on Earth. Because the moon has a very small atmosphere, it has been hit by numerous asteroids that would be broken up in the atmosphere of the Earth. This has created a scarred appearance, with the moon’s surface being full of craters. While asteroids still might hit Earth, the level of erosion and seismic activity has made the Earth’s surface constantly evolve so there are not craters everywhere; on the moon, however, because there is no seismic activity and no erosion, these craters remain for hundreds of thousands of years (NASA 1). There is no life on the moon, so there are also no plants. This makes the appearance and geology of the moon much different than on Earth.
The moon is believed to have several elements similar to Earth, such as having a thin crust for the surface, but the core of the moon is believed to be solid, unlike the Earth. The core is solid because it is smaller than the Earth’s core, and was able to cool down much quicker. The solid core is also why the moon has no seismic activity.
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"Geology of the Moon".
The ways we have learned about the moon were first influenced by visible observation. The moon is constantly visible in the night sky, and before telescopes were invented, we could see how the moon has a cratered appearance and appears to be a dull gray color, indicating an absence of plant life before we were even able to see the moon through telescopes. The invention of telescopes helped us expand our knowledge of the moon, and seeing it in much closer detail seemed to also show that the moon had a distinct cratered appearance and no vegetation (NASA 1). As space technology evolved in the last century, we were able to launch satellites that could detail the moon much closer, and then the Apollo missions sent astronauts to land on the moon, where they could see it in person. They collected rock samples during these visits, and they confirmed that there was no life on the moon, much lower gravity, and barely any atmosphere. The Apollo missions confirmed what was already suspected about the moon’s geology, while the samples that were collected helped us understand the moon’s geology even further.
What we can learn from studying the moon’s geology are greater insights into how the planets were formed, as well as understanding how geological processes such as erosion and seismic activity can affect the landscape of a planet. There are currently a few theories about how the moon was formed, but the most widely accepted theory by NASA is that the moon was created following an ancient massive collision between the Earth and another planetary body. The explosion was large enough to cause a large amount of material to be ejected from the Earth, and over time, this material collected and became the moon (Space.com 1). This would explain why much of the geological composition of the moon, such as the elements found in the rocks, are similar to geological properties of Earth. Another theory is that the moon was captured by Earth’s gravity, as it was another small planet that became drawn to the Earth through gravity, and now it orbits the Earth. While these are theories about how the moon was formed, there is still some uncertainty about the exact nature of how the moon formed.
Besides not knowing for sure how the moon was formed, there are still a few other elements we do not know about the moon. For example, we have an idea of the moon’s internal composition under the surface, but we cannot know for certain until or unless we research this further, which would most likely involve future lunar missions. We also do not know the exact history of the moon, because it is clear that it used to have seismic activity, but since the moon cooled, this planet has stopped. The moon would have been very different billions of years ago, so we are unsure of how the moon came to be how it is today in its current form. However, studying the geology of the moon has given us insights into the chemical properties of our own solar system, and have provided us with theories on how the solar system was formed. This knowledge helps us predict how the solar system might evolve in the future, and it also reveals the dangers caused when there are massive collisions in the solar system, as the moon is evidence of what can happen when an asteroid strikes a planet or moon, seen in the large number of craters that appear on the surface. We have been able to learn a lot about the moon through observation and the Apollo missions, but there are still a few mysteries left to uncover.
- NASA. About the moon: In-Depth. 2018. Accessible online at http://moon.nasa.go/about/in-depth
- Space.com. Moon Facts. 2012. Accessible online at http://space-facts.com/the-moon/
