Moonquakes could reveal buried lunar ice for future explorers
The surface of the moon is a bleak and forbidding place that could be hiding a lot of water ice within its dusty landscape. However, most possible ice deposits don't just stand out in an image. Scientists need specialized mapping to find those deposits, so they have devised another way to find the moon's frosty hidden reserves. They use seismic waves from moonquakes as locator beacons.
Scientists are exploring the possibility of buried lunar ice using seismic waves generated by moonquakes. These waves, which travel through the lunar surface, can reveal the presence of ice deposits hidden beneath the surface. Ice is valuable for future lunar explorers as it can provide a source of water, oxygen, and rocket fuel.
The ice may have originated from comets, asteroids, volcanic activity, or interactions with the solar wind. Researchers at the University of Maryland, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and the University of Hawai'i have been studying seismic waves to locate these ice deposits. They found that seismic waves travel faster through areas with ice, indicating their presence.
Additionally, changes in wave bounce-back could provide further information about the ice. The team used three methods to detect ice: studying X-ray patterns in volcanic rocks that mimic lunar dust, modeling temperature in the polar regions, and simulating minor moonquakes. These findings suggest that lunar ice could be found in various locations on the moon, including the poles and regions affected by bombardment from comets or asteroids.
Identifying and mapping these ice deposits is crucial for future lunar missions, as it allows astronauts to utilize the moon's resources and potentially gain insights into the early solar system.
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