Top: Map of thorium concentrations near Compton crater on the lunar far side. Bottom: LRO view of the felsic highland volcano. After Jolliff et al. (2011), Nature Geoscience 4, 566. The flood of new data from the Moon continues to enlighten and puzzle lunar scientists. Members of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team have noticed an unusual landform on the far side of the Moon that was as unexpected as it might be significant. We’ve known for many years that early in its history, the Moon was volcanically active. The dark, smooth maria of the Moon is made up of lava flows, individually [...]
