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AGU News:
The mystery of the lunar vortex, one of the most beautiful optical anomalies of the solar system, could finally be solved thanks to a new study.
The solution refers to the dynamism of the ancient past of the moon as a place of volcanic activity and an internally generated magnetic field. It also challenges our image of the geology of the moon.
By working with what is known about the complex geometry of lunar vortices and the magnetic field forces associated with them, researchers have developed mathematical models for geological "magnets". and buried near the surface of the moon.
The image is consistent with the lava tubes, the long, narrow structures formed by lava flowing during volcanic eruptions; or with lava dikes, vertical magma leaves injected into the lunar crust.
But that raised another question: how could lava tubes and dikes be so strongly magnetic? The answer lies in a reaction that may be peculiar to the lunar environment at the time of these ancient eruptions, more than 3 billion years ago.
Past experiments have shown that many lunar rocks become very magnetic when heated to over 600 degrees Celsius in an oxygen-free environment.
This is because some minerals decompose at high temperatures and release metallic iron. If there is a sufficiently strong magnetic field nearby, the newly formed iron will become magnetized in the direction of this field.
This does not normally happen on earth, where floating oxygen binds to iron. And that would not happen today on the moon, where there is no global magnetic field to magnetize iron.
"Nobody had thought of this reaction by explaining these exceptionally strong magnetic characteristics on the moon. It was the last piece of the puzzle to understand the magnetism that underlies these lunar whirlpools, "said Tikoo.
The next step would be to visit a lunar whirlwind and study it directly. Tikoo is part of a committee that proposes a rover mission to do just that.
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