After conducting theoretical studies, scientists from the American University of Purdue suggest that huge lava channels located on the surface of the Moon hide equally huge tunnels.
It is possible that these holes on the moon lead to lava channels.
The dimensions of these tunnels are so large that we can talk about the prospect of placing inhabited lunar bases in them, experts say.
American theoretical scientists from Purdue University believe that lunar bases in the future can be equipped in lava tunnels located under the surface of a natural satellite of the Earth. These tunnels, as the researchers suggest, were formed by solidified lava flows.
According to experts, if the dimensions of the visible channels can reach 10 kilometers wide, then the lava tunnels should be just as large, since the nature of their origin is similar. This is stated in the press release of the university report.
“The tunnels were formed by lava flows from volcanic eruptions. Under terrestrial conditions, the surface layers of lava cool faster due to contact with air and become monolithic, forming a solid crust. It creates thermal insulation for the inner layers, which remain hot and fluid. As a result, lava still flows closer to the center of the lava tube, even when the upper layers have already frozen.
As the lava cools further, the thickness of this crust increases, slowing down the cooling rate of the lava inside the tube. And even when the lava source dries up, the contents of the tube continue to slide downhill, leaving behind voids, which are called lava tubes. Coming out of the tube, the lava leaves an open passage on one side,”the specialists report.
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“We're trying to figure out if lava tubes can exist on the moon. Some data, such as the sinuous grooves observed on the surface of our satellite, suggest that if lunar lava tubes exist, then they are very large, - said one of the authors of the study, Professor Jay Melosh.
According to graduate student David Blair, empty lava tunnels more than one kilometer wide on the Moon can remain structurally stable.
“Our theoretical calculations have shown that if the lunar lava tubes have the same vaulted shapes as the terrestrial ones, they can be stable up to 5 thousand meters. On Earth, this would not be possible, but the gravity on the moon is much lower, and lunar rocks are not subject to such strong erosion. In theory, the lava tubes on the moon are big enough to house a city and certainly a lunar base,”Blair said.
