LUNAR VOLCANISM: WHAT IS KNOWN? WHAT IS LEFT TO KNOW?
Dr. Yuqi Qian is a Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Earth Sciences at HKU. He holds a doctoral degree in Planetary Geology and Comparative Planetology from the China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) and has dedicated his studies to unravel the secrets of the Moon behind modern remote sensing approaches and returned lunar samples. Dr. Qian’s research mainly focuses on geological processes on terrestrial planets, with a special focus on China’s Lunar Exploration Program, including Chang’e-5 (China’s first lunar sample return), Chang’e-6 (world’s first lunar farside sample return), Chang’e-7 missions (lunar south pole). He is a science committee member of the Science and Application System of China’s Human Lunar Exploration Program.
Originating from the mantle, lunar volcanism and their products contain vital information about lunar interior and its thermal state. Our knowledge of the lunar volcanic activities comes from orbital remote sensing, in-situ investigation, and lunar samples collected by tens of successful missions to the Moon including China’s Chang’e-1 to 6 missions. The framework of lunar volcanism has been established primarily. It started as early as ~4.3 Ga by the end of the magma ocean solidification and receded dramatically in Eratosthenian Period. The large-scale eruptions faded at ~1.0 Ga, and only small-scale eruptions probably occurred in the last 1.0 Ga (irregular mare patches, ring-moat dome structures, volcanic beads). Even though, several key questions of lunar volcanism still wait for answers by these three approaches to completely understand lunar thermal history, including the most ancient volcanism, the youngest volcanism, the silicic volcanism, and the dichotomy of volcanism in the nearside and farside.