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According to the Giant Impact Hypothesis, the Moon formed from a massive impact between a primordial Earth and a Mars-sized object (Theia) roughly 4.5 billion years ago. This is largely based on the study of sample rocks retrieved by the Apollo missions and seismic studies, which revealed that the Earth and Moon are similar in composition and structure. Further studies of the surface have revealed features that suggest the planet was once volcanically active, including lunar maria (dark, flat areas filled with solidified lava).<\/p>\n
In the past, researchers suspected that these maria were formed by contractions in the interior that occurred billions of years ago and that the Moon has remained dormant ever since. However, a new study conducted by researchers from the National Air and Space Museum (NASM) and the University of Maryland (UMD) revealed small ridges on the Moon\u2019s far side that are younger than those on the near side. Their findings constitute another line of evidence that the Moon still experiences geological activity billions of years after it formed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n The research was conducted by Cole Nypaver and Thomas R. Watters, a postdoctoral student and Senior Geologist with the NASM\u2019s Center for Earth and Planetary Studies at the Smithsonian Institute. They were joined by Jackie Clark, an Assistant Research Scientist with UMD\u2019s Department of Geology. The paper detailing their findings, \u201cRecent Tectonic Deformation of the Lunar Farside Mare and South Pole\u2013Aitken Basin,\u201d recently appeared in the Planetary Science Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n