NASA plans to undertake a 'priority' mission to the moon to investigate mysterious mounds that have perplexed scientists.
Gruithuisen Domes, the Mysterious Domes on moon
The US space agency has announced plans for a rover to visit the Gruithuisen Domes, geological landforms thought to have been produced by a sticky magma rich in silica and akin to granite.
How the Mysterious Domes arose and evolved
On Earth, formations like these require oceans of liquid water and plate tectonics to occur, but specialists are puzzled how the domes arose and evolved over time on the moon without these components.
Lunar Vulkan Imaging & Spectroscopy Explorer
The Lunar Vulkan Imaging and Spectroscopy Explorer (Lunar-VISE) mission, which is set to launch in 2025, will have five instruments.
The Gruithuisen Domes are a puzzle to geologists.
The domes are thought to have been produced by a magma rich in silica, comparable in composition to granite, NASA believes, based on early telescopic and spacecraft observations.
The Gruithuisen Domes are unique from the surrounding landscape, which is covered with ancient hardened basaltic lava flows, according to observations from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
According to NASA, these are runny and thin, and flow like motor oil, as opposed to silicic lavas, which are thick and flow like peanut butter.
How silicic magmas may occur on the moon is a mystery. Water and plate tectonics are two components that often lead to the formation of silicic volcanoes on Earth.
'These domes have long been assumed to be created by a magma rich in silica, comparable in composition to granite, based on early telescopic and satellite observations.
'How such silicic magmas could arise on the moon is the true enigma.'