Emily Chan
On the surface of the Moon, there are more than 200 known pits that scientists have speculated are underground cave conduits.
Now, one of those pits, in Mare Tranquillitatis, has been found to be a cave conduit that was created when it collapsed into a lava tube.
The pit is accessible from the lunar surface and provides an opportunity for future exploration into lunar volcanism.
Long ago, the Moon was covered in seas of magma that eventually cooled. It was thought that the Moon could’ve contained other volcanic features, such as lava tubes, like on Earth.
Lava tubes are created when a lava stream cools down and forms a hardened exterior shell. It acts as a sort of pipe for hot lava to flow through.
After some time, the lava will finish flowing out and leave a hollow channel behind that could connect to other chambers or caves.
The researchers of the new study have detected plenty of evidence on the Moon’s surface that suggests the existence of lava tubes. Lunar pits have been the most notable signs pointing to the possibility of the tubes.
The team wanted to find out whether a hidden cave could be mapped using orbital synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments.
They conducted tests on two terrestrial cave systems in Lanzarote, Spain, and the Well of Barhout in Yemen.
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