William Atkins
Sunday, 15 February 2009 20:27
Science -
Space
Page 3 of 4
For the first time, the team was able to measure the complete topography of the Moon in much detail—down to nine miles (fifteen kilometers)—including never-before-measured stiffness (roughness) of its crust from pole to pole and around its circumference from its far-side to its near-side and back.
The Araki team found, according to ScienceDaily.com,
“The highest point -- on the rim of the Dririchlet-Jackson basin near the equator -- rises 11 kilometers (more than 6.5 miles) high, while the lowest point -- the bottom of Antoniadi crater near the south pole -- rests 9 kilometers (more than 5.5 miles) deep.”
This is the highest point so far discovered on the Moon. The mountain is positioned on the rim of a crater found on the far-side of the Moon. The height of the mountain (actually closer to 10.75 kilometers) was found by SELENE to be about three kilometers (1.9 miles) higher than previously measured. The lowest point was found to be about 9.06 kilometers deep.
Of importance, the Araki team found that the crust was especially stiff (rough), which means that liquid water does not flow within it.
If water had flowed (or currently flows) through it, then the crust would have been less stiff (more flexible). However, its measurement did not find such flexibility of its composition.
The ScienceDaily.com article states,
“The surface was too rigid to allow for any liquid water, even deep within the Moon. Earth's surface is more flexible, by contrast, with the surface rising or falling as water flows above or below ground. Even our planet's plate tectonics is due in part to water lubricating the crust.”
It continues,
“And Mars? On a scale of surface roughness, it falls somewhere between the Earth and the Moon, which indicates that there may have once been liquid water, but that the surface is now very dry.”
Additional information on the findings from the SELENE mission is provided in the February 13, 2009 issue of the journal Science. In fact, its print issue shows an image of the Moon with the title “
SELENE and the Lunar Farside.”
Page four tells where to read more about the SELENE mapping mission on the Science magazine website.
