October 1, 2014, 16:21 Washington, Oct. 1 (PL) Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology United States solved the mystery of lunar basin known as face Luna, reports the journal Nature today.
It is a giant basin closest to the Earth side and that, until now was believed to be a result of an asteroid impact.
The study, using data from the GRAIL mission to the American space agencies revealed that its origin was a large plume of magma from deep within the moon itself.
The Procellarum region, the official name of the basin is roughly circular, a volcanic land of about 800 thousand kilometers in diameter .
To conduct the research, experts created a high-resolution map of the area and found that the boundary is not circular but polygonal, consisting of sharp angles that could not have been created by massive impacts asteroids.
Instead, scientists believe that the angular outline was produced by cracks of giant strain in the crust of the Moon, AAAL cool it around a plume upwelling of hot material from the deep interior .
Maria Zuber, one of the main authors, said that as the cracks occurred, they formed a plumbing system in the lunar crust through which the magma could roam the surface.
According to experts, the magma finally filled the small basins in the region and is responsible for the consequences of the creation of what is now seen as dark spots on the near side of our natural satellite.
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