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Suspected volcano 'glowing' on moon - as scientists baffled after heat blob discovery
Scientists have been left baffled after discovering a giant heat blob on the dark side of the moon spanning 31 miles. It's believed to come from a large deposit of granite buried underneath the surface of the moon formed by a volcano.
It has a temperature of 10C and has profound consequences for lunar research. This is considered to be very hot for the moon where the mercury can plummet to bone-chilling lows of -183C at night.
The volcanoes are similar to those on earth, with granite formed after an eruption when magma cools into the rock. Finding granite on other planets is very rare, scientists say. The moon is known for its lava fields and eruptions but never for housing a volcano. It was discovered beneath the Compton and Belkovich craters on the far side of the moon.
Dr Matt Siegler, co-lead researcher at the Planetary Science Institute, explained: “What we found was that one of these suspected volcanoes, known as Compton-Belkovich, was absolutely glowing at microwave wavelengths."
The volcanoes are similar to those on earth, with granite formed after an eruption when magma cools into the rock. Finding granite on other planets is very rare, scientists say. The moon is known for its lava fields and eruptions but never for housing a volcano. It was discovered beneath the Compton and Belkovich craters on the far side of the moon.
Dr Matt Siegler, co-lead researcher at the Planetary Science Institute, explained: “What we found was that one of these suspected volcanoes, known as Compton-Belkovich, was absolutely glowing at microwave wavelengths."
In the monumental discovery, it was also found that the heat source isn't magma but radioactive elements stuck in the rocks. The data unearthed showcases a silicon-rich surface, 20 (12 miles) kilometres wide, believed to be the caldera of an ancient volcano.
This ancient volcano is the most similar to earthly volcanoes found so far. And the researchers found it using data from the two Chinese lunar orbiters, Chang’E 1 and Chang’E 2. China ’s Chang’E orbiters both carry an instrument for looking at the moon in microwave wavelengths.
Dr. Siegler continued: “We interpret this heat flux as resulting from a radiogenic-rich granite body below the caldera.” Dr. Rita Economos, a geochemist, explained that what they discovered was a 50km (31 miles) wide batholith – a volcanic rock that forms when lava rises into the crust but doesn’t erupt onto the surface.
注释：
baffle: v
表示" 困惑；难倒"，means "cause to have difficulty in understanding and confuse so much that effective action is impossible"，如：One of the exam questions baffled me completely. 有一道试题把我完全难住了。
blob: n
表示" ；小斑点；一滴"，means "an indistinct shapeless form"，如：It's a blob and can be of any shape. 它们往往是粘乎乎黑糊糊的一团，可以是各种形状。
granite: n
表示"花岗石"，means "a hard grey rock,used for building and making roads"，如：He has a heart of granite. 他有一副铁石心肠。
He is pointing down a bl
plummet: v
表示" 垂直落下；暴跌"，means "drop sharply"，如：Share price plummet or plunge on the news of the devaluation. 一有贬值的消息，股票价格就暴跌了。
magma: n
表示" 岩浆；糊剂"，means "molten rock in the earth's crust"，如：Magma extravasated as pressure built under ground. 当地底下的压力生成时，岩浆喷发。
crater: n
表示" 坑(陨石坑、弹坑等)；凹地；火山口"，means " the bowl-shaped mouth of a volcano"，如：Lava boiled up from the crater of the volcano. 熔岩从火山口沸腾着升起来。
caldera: n
表示"火山口"，means "a large crater caused by the violent explosion of a volcano that collapses into a depression"，如：Much of Yellowstone National Park is a giant collapsed volcano, or a caldera. 黄石国家公园的大部分地方是一座坍塌的大火山，或是一个喷火山口。
radiogenic: adj
表示"关于放射的；适于无线电广播的"，如：Radiogenic heat, even from a fairly deep-seated uranium orebody, could be measured. 即使铀矿体埋得足够深，它的放射成因热也能被测出。
geochemist: n
表示"地球化学工作者"，如：The President of the University is Geochemist and Professor Chen Jun. 现任校长为地球化学家陈骏教授。
batholith: n
表示" 岩基；岩盘"，如：A batholith has been defined as a huge intrusive mass of granitic rock. 岩基的定义是巨大的花岗石侵入岩体。
中文简要说明：
科学家们在月球背面发现了一个巨大的热源反应感到困惑，横跨近50公里。目前推测这来自月球表面下一个由一座火山形成的大型花岗团块。它的温度为摄氏10度，这月球研究产生深远影响。因为在月球表面上，晚上会将至零下183度的严寒，因此摄氏10度的反应对于月球而言相当炎热。
据英国《每日镜报》（Mirror）报导，研究人员使用中国大陆发射的2个月球探测器嫦娥1号和嫦娥2号的数据找到了它。2台嫦娥探测器都搭载了使用微波波长观察月球的仪器。
这些火山与地球上的火山相似，花岗岩是在火山爆发后，熔岩冷却凝结成岩石。科学家表示，在其他行星上发现花岗岩实属罕见，月球虽然以其熔岩原野和火山喷发而闻名，但从先前从未证实火山存在，目前这火山反应位于月球背面的康普顿和贝尔科维奇环形山。
行星科学研究所的联合研究员西格勒博士（Dr. Matt Siegler）解释说：「我们发现了一个过去就被怀疑是火山之一的康普顿-贝尔科维奇环形山，在微波波长下绝对发光。」
这一次的重大发现中，还发现热源不是熔岩，而是被固定在岩石中的放射性元素。挖掘出的数据显示了一个宽20公里的硅质表面，被认为是一座古老火山的火山口，而这座古老的火山与地球上的火山相似度最高。
西格勒博士继续解释说：「我们解释这种热通量是由火山口下面的含有放射性矿物的花岗岩体造成的。」地球化学家埃克诺莫斯博士（Dr. Rita Economos）解释说，他们所发现的是一个宽50公里的岩浆岩体，这种火山岩体在岩浆升至地壳但未喷出地表时形成。
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