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Moon Had Magnetic Field At Least a Billion Years Longer Than Thought, Says Study (theguardian.com)

While the moon has no global magnetic field nowadays, it did have one in the past and researchers believe it lasted at least a billion years longer than previously thought. The Guardian reports: Between 4.25 billion and 3.56 billion years ago, the lunar magnetic field was similar to that of the Earth. The field is thought to have been generated by the churning movement of fluids within the moon's molten core -- a sort of lunar dynamo. But scientists have long puzzled over when the magnetic field disappeared, with previous research unable to tell whether the field had disappeared completely by 3.19 billion years ago or had lingered on in a weaker form. Writing in the journal Science Advances, Sonia Tikoo, a planetary scientist and co-author of the research from Rutgers University, and colleagues from the University of California, Berkeley and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, describe how they set about unpicking the conundrum by analyzing a lunar rock brought back by the Apollo 15 mission in 1971. The sample contains fragments of basalt that had broken off larger rocks. According to a dating technique based on the ratio of different isotopes of argon, the basalt formed from lava flows about 3.3 billion years ago. These fragments are bound together in the sample by a glassy material, which the team say probably formed when some of the basalt melted following a meteorite impact. The researchers dated the formation of the glassy material to between 1 billion and 2.5 billion years ago. Crucially, the impact also melted iron-containing grains within the basalt. These crystalized again within the glassy material as it quickly cooled, capturing a record of the magnetic field of the moon at that time.

41 comments

  1. The stupid summary doesn't say when, so.. by aliquis · · Score: 3, Informative

    "The upshot, says Tikoo, is that the lunar dynamo was still going until somewhere between one billion and 2.5bn years ago."

    Based on crystallized iron-grains in some glassy material, not very precised timing.

    "Such a field is 1,000 times stronger than that measured at the moonâ(TM)s Apollo 15 landing site by astronauts, and far stronger than than would be expected from the influence of the Earthâ(TM)s magnetic field."

    You are welcome.

    1. Re:The stupid summary doesn't say when, so.. by NoNonAlphaCharsHere · · Score: 4, Funny

      Also, there's no mention of that magnetic anomaly in Tycho crater.

  2. Giant collider theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    According to the theory that the moon was formed by a collision between another planetoid (Theia) and Earth, the rotation speed of Earth was one complete revolution every 5 to 6 hours. Probably the Moon would be rotating even faster than Earth as well as being six times closer than it is now and being a glowing ball of magma.

  3. The moon is an alien base and soul capture machine by kwijibo · · Score: 1

    Moonsanto

    http://humansarefree.com/2015/03/is-moon-artificial-alien-base.html

  4. Re: The moon is an alien base and soul capture mac by kwijibo · · Score: 1

    http://wariscrime.com/new/the-moon-is-a-spacecraft/

  5. moon just needs landscaping & an atmosphere? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    just don't call it a dry run... spirit of creation provides more than enough of what we need without any greed/fear/ego motives.. how refreshing?

  6. Moon in Billion Years Ago by businesswindo · · Score: 0

    It had all magnetic field where I can't magnify it, a study can have get it.

    1. Re:Moon in Billion Years Ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can you translate that to a language the rest of us will understand?

  7. How? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

    "The researchers dated the formation of the glassy material to between 1 billion and 2.5 billion years ago. "

    How do you go about dating something that doesn't have carbon, or layers of sediment to compare with? I'm sure there are other methods, but the article doesn't elaborate.

    --
    Just another day in Paradise
    1. Re:How? by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 4, Informative

      How do you go about dating something that doesn't have carbon, or layers of sediment to compare with? I'm sure there are other methods, but the article doesn't elaborate.

      Biologists use carbon dating because living organisms incorporate stable 12C and radioactive 14C into their bodies in the same ratio as in the surrounding environment, which is assumed not to change with time. After death, when the organism stops incorporating carbon, the 14C steadily decays at a constant rate, enable time-since-death to be computed. C dating is accurate out to about 50,000 years.

      Geologists use the same system of dating, but with isotopes that have half-lives long enough for the measurement to be viable over geologic time spans.

    2. Re:How? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A lot fewer assumptions are made than people think:

      living organisms incorporate stable 12C and radioactive 14C into their bodies in the same ratio as in the surrounding environment,

      Carbon isotopes aren't exactly the same chemically, and biologists have worked out how this varies slightly between different kinds of plants. Different photosynthesis types will produce slightly different ratios of carbon, as do some variations of environment (underwater vs. on land).

      which is assumed not to change with time.

      A lot of effort has been put into mapping out how it has changed with time and the impact that has on dating. They no longer assume the background rate has been the same for some time now.

      These effects can cause small corrections, but often it is important to be aware they are being made and have been measured as opposed to just assumed to be a certain way.

    3. Re:How? by dcw3 · · Score: 0

      I'm puzzled why this is marked informative. My question wasn't looking for an explanation of how carbon dating works, but rather how you date something that doesn't/didn't have carbon. There's no carbon half-life to examine in moon rocks, right??? Or did I have a complete brain freeze here?

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
    4. Re:How? by painandgreed · · Score: 2

      I'm puzzled why this is marked informative. My question wasn't looking for an explanation of how carbon dating works, but rather how you date something that doesn't/didn't have carbon. There's no carbon half-life to examine in moon rocks, right??? Or did I have a complete brain freeze here?

      Their last sentence. The same method is used but they don't use C but some other element using Radiometric Dating. Probably several other elements and their ratios at creation and the present from a mineral sample where Rubidium-strontium Dating is mentioned for determining the age of lunar samples.

    5. Re:How? by dcw3 · · Score: 1

      Okay, got it, and thanks.

      --
      Just another day in Paradise
  8. Moon Doesn't Have Global Anything by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The moon doesn't have, nor has it ever had, global anything. "Global" refers to Earth, not the moon. "Lunar" refers to the moon - our moon.

    The moon had a lunar magnetic field longer than we thought. It never had a global magnetic field.

    1. Re:Moon Doesn't Have Global Anything by bws111 · · Score: 1

      Wrong. From Merriam-Webster:

      : of, relating to, or involving the entire world : worldwide a global system of communication; also : of or relating to a celestial body (such as the moon)

      emphasis mine

    2. Re:Moon Doesn't Have Global Anything by vux984 · · Score: 1

      ""Global" refers to Earth,"

      No. global refers to things which are globes, including the earth.

      The adjective that refers exclusively to the earth is "terrestrial"

  9. Someone got lazy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You should remember to degauss your moons regularly. It's just a good maintenance habit.

  10. Do they know anything at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If you go by conventional thinking, then magnetic fields no matter how weak, are going to do one of two things : attract, or repel.

    If you subscribe to the idea that gravity alone controls the position of the moon around Earth, then the moon having a magnetic field, and yet being in orbit around the Earth for a billion years with it would mean that the magnetic field would be necessary to counteract the angular momentum around the Earth (rotating around Earth too fast) thus, magnetic attraction holding the moon in place.
    Or else, the opposite, it rotates too slowly given its distance from the Earth, and magnetic repulsion prevented it crashing into Earth.

    So to lose this force would mean either the moon would be pulled into the Earth, or the opposite, and fly off into the voids of space.

    1. Re:Do they know anything at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Magnets only repel or attract if they are end-to-end. Having the Earth and Moon with magnetic fields in parallel would reinforce or cancel each other.

    2. Re:Do they know anything at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you go by conventional thinking, then magnetic fields no matter how weak, are going to do one of two things : attract, or repel.

      Magnitude makes a big difference and you can't ignore that.

      Otherwise, you might as well start with "It has been established that radiation pressure causes a repulsion from light being absorbed or reflected off surfaces, therefore a walking person will fall over if you turn the lights off."

      So to lose this force would mean either the moon would be pulled into the Earth, or the opposite, and fly off into the voids of space.

      Except the moon did lose most of its magnetic field, and it neither flew off into space or into the Earth...

    3. Re:Do they know anything at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Earht's magneting field is not the true north of the planet. So there's going to be some level of attraction / repulsion, unless you're going to tell us the moon's magnetic field was ideally off, as Earth's ??

    4. Re:Do they know anything at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Magnetism and gravity follow the same inverse square law with relation to distance. Except, magnetism is many orders of magnitude stronger than gravity. So you're right, the amount you have to being with would play a big part. But one thing I know is, I've seen a man row a boat, and pull along a cruise ship. Granted a few minutes effort pulled it all of a few metres. But the point is, a little force, and a BILLION years, and surely you have something to ague about.

    5. Re:Do they know anything at all? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Except, magnetism is many orders of magnitude stronger than gravity.

      Context matters, quite significantly. Electromagnetism is much stronger than gravity when talking about a proton and electron, but not when talking about large neutrally charge piles of atoms.

      But the point is, a little force, and a BILLION years, and surely you have something to ague about.

      Billions of years doesn't make a difference when that force is perpendicular to motion or symmetric about a closed circuit, as is the case for orbits. The original post above seemed to be making a point about turning off of a force, which would cause a change in equilibrium that comes down to relative magnitudes, not timescales.

  11. Whoops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Only off by a billion years. Please tell me why the hell I would think they got it right THIS time if they keep missing the mark by such small numbers. They have the same problem with the earth's age. I swear in the last 30 years the earth has aged billions of years. Err its 200 million, no 1 billion, ooops its 3.5 billion, just joking guys really its 4.5 billion this time for reals.

    1. Re:Whoops by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The 4.5 billion year age, with a couple percent error bars or smaller, has been around and unchanged for over 50 years now. Why should we think you're judgement of science be right if you can't even get such simple numbers correction?

    2. Re:Whoops by dwye · · Score: 1

      Why should we think you're judgement of science be right if

      Why should we care about either of you if you both post as Anonymous Coward? If there really ARE two of you!

  12. Possible atmosphere once in ancient past? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If moon had magnetic field once, it could have had an atmosphere and perhaps ... life forms?
    This deserves another, more detailed look. We are trawling Mars, because we are hoping it is not too late to find existing life there, and for Moon it almost certainly is too late, but if we could find evidence that once there were microbes on Moon, that would be a big deal.

  13. Re:Giant collider theory - known to be very wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Not widely known, but the popular theory is understood to be complete bullshit, even by the person who created the theory. As what no one is told is that the theory requires an exactly identical collision from the opposite direction and complementary angle to counter the imparted spin of the first collision. Which means, the theory everyone pushes is known to be completely wrong. It's pure fantasy. While plausible, it's pretty much improbable (impossible).

    It's sadly comical that such an outlandishly impossible theory is accepted by mainstream. Really speaks to the sickness which has overtaken science and the peer review process.

  14. That's one HUGE magnetic field by garryknight · · Score: 2

    "Moon Had Magnetic Field At Least a Billion Years Longer Than Thought"

    But wait! How long is thought?

    --
    Garry Knight
  15. Re:Giant collider theory - known to be very wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why do you need to counter the imparted spin? There's no particular reason to.

    Besides, conservation of angular momentum and the gravitational effects of tidal bulges will both slow the spin and spiral the resulting moon outwards, as is still happening today.

  16. Re:Giant collider theory - known to be very wrong by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... otherwise known as the double-whack theory. The same mischievous rocks comes back, and does it again!
    The problem is, when all you have is gravity and collisions in your toolbox, you have to try and explain everything in terms of collisions and gravity. So when you come across a situation that you can't solve, hit it with a meteor / planetoid, and see what happens. If that doesn't work - hit it again! If that doesn't work, blame it on a black hole that's very small, and somehow disappeared now. I've heard that one before. But wait, it wasn't a black hole - it was lots of dark matter! Ah, that ol' chestnut. But they've discounted dark-matter last year. So maybe it was the illusory black hole all along? It was just cruisin' through the solar system. Ya'know. takin' care of business. Then left as quickly as it arrived.

    I think we need better rational explanations than the ones offered by mainstream astronomy / astro-physics today.

  17. MAI? by Lost+Penguin · · Score: 1

    So, just how long has the Moon been sentient?

    --
    I am the unwilling control for my Origin.