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Scientists say the mysterious lunar vortex, one of the most beautiful optical anomalies of the solar system, can be a relic of the ancient volcanic activity of the moon and an internally generated magnetic field.
Most lunar vortices share their locations with powerful localized magnetic fields. Shiny and dark patterns can occur when these magnetic fields deflect particles from the solar wind and cause a slowing down of some parts of the lunar surface.
But the cause of these magnetic fields, and therefore whirls themselves, had long been a mystery. "To solve it, we had to find out what type of geological feature could produce these magnetic fields – and why their magnetism was so powerful. Said Sonia Tikoo, assistant professor at Rutgers University in the United States and co-author of the study published in the newspaper.
Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.
They discovered that each vortex had to be above a narrow magnetic object and buried near the surface of the moon, like lava tubes formed by lava during volcanic eruptions.
Past experiments have shown that many lunar rocks become very magnetic when heated to over 600 degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free environment.
In a previous study, the researchers found that the ancient magnetic field of the Moon had lasted 1 billion to 2.5 billion years longer than was thought – perhaps at the same time as tubes of washed
"Nobody had thought of this reaction by explaining these exceptionally strong magnetic characteristics on the moon. It was the last piece of the puzzle of understanding the magnetism that underlies these lunar whirlpools, "said Tikoo.
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