Types Of Rocks On The Moon
There are various types of rocks on the moon. Astronauts and scientists have discovered that the moon is home to numerous kinds of rocks and they are now studying these to be able to get a clearer idea on the moon and if there are or were possible life forms on the moon. These rocks have various amounts of mineral and chemicals in them which could be useful for research and such like. These rocks are considered to be the ‘celebrities’ amongst all rocks because some of them may be very rare to find or come across. They are also quite valuable and rich in minerals.
Anorthosites are one of the many types of rocks on the moon and they are generally light in color if you look at them. These rocks are made of minerals that are known as plagioclase feldspar and the mineral is what gives them the color that they have. These are also known as pristine highland rocks and their composition does not change when they are heated. These reveal that the moon must have experienced quite a lot of heat as a result of which it melted and these dispositions are a result of the process. They tend to be about 1 cm big, coarse to the touch and you can find angular fractures on these as well. It is believed that these fractures are the product of shocks caused by the impacts of activities that took place on or in the moon when it was being (or after it was) formed. It is also believed that these types of rocks on the moon are mostly composed of one type of mineral since, upon inspection, they mostly showed one color as opposed to those types of rock on the moon that show different colors such
as the polarized version of the Lunar breccia which shows many different colors. This reveals that the breccia is the product of many minerals that came together or melted together to form these types of rocks on the moon.
Regoliths are those types of rocks on the moon that are believed to be similar to ‘loose’ soil and are rich in minerals such as basalt. Though you would mostly find pristine highland rocks on the moon, you can also find these. Very minute glass fragments can be found too.
Another of the many types of rocks on the moon is mare basalts which was the first of the 4 main types of rocks on the moon to be discovered. It was discovered back when Apollo 11 went to the moon and this was the first of the types of rocks on the moon to be discovered. They have few low amounts of iron in them and it is believed that they are about 3-4 billion years old and these basalts are believed to come from the deeper parts of the moon. They are believed to be found at least 100 meters deep in the moon.
Scientists are still working on finding more types of rocks on the moon.