This is the most comprehensive map of the moon’s geology yet

Cartographers merged Apollo-era maps and modern lunar observations to make the new
graphic
false-color map of moon's surface
A new map of the moon is the most comprehensive geologic map of the lunar surface
(nearside shown left, farside shown right). Different colors designate different
surface features, such as lunar highlands (dark earth tones) and ancient lava flows
(reds and purples).

GSFC/NASA, USGS

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By Maria Temming

APRIL 24, 2020 AT 12:33 PM

In the most comprehensive lunar map yet, the moon looks like it’s been playing
paintball.

Each splash of color identifies a discrete rock or sediment formation, including

craters, basins and ancient lava fields. For instance, “the darker, more earth
tones are these highland-type terrains, and the reds and the purples tend to be
more of these volcanic and lava flow materials,” says geologist James Skinner, who
oversees the production of standardized maps for solar system bodies at the U.S.
Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz. (For more details on exactly what those
colors mean, check out the map in all its glory here.)

The Unified Geologic Map of the Moon, released April 20 by the USGS, as it’s
called, combines information from six regional lunar maps created during the Apollo
era, as well as recent spacecraft observations. The modern data include views of
the north and south lunar poles made by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, and
observations around the equator from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency’s
SELENE lunar orbiter (SN: 7/10/19).

This lunar cartography project was trickier than just fitting Apollo-era maps
together like puzzle pieces and using new data to tweak the details — in part,
because the edges of the regional maps didn’t line up. Many surface features at the
boundaries between neighboring maps were labeled with inconsistent names,
descriptions and ages.

Different colors on a new geologic map of the moon designate different types of
rock and sediment formations on the moon. For instance, craters associated with the
Eratosthenian period on the moon (about 3.2 billion to 1.1 billion years ago) are
typically marked green. Craters from the older Imbrian period (around 3.9 billion
to 3.2 billion years ago) are generally painted blue.
Those discrepancies arose because the Apollo-era maps were created by separate
research groups, and two different teams looking at the same parts of the moon
could interpret what they saw differently. For instance, one group might have seen
something jagged on the surface and called it a fault, whereas another team could
have read it as a fragment ejected during the formation of a crater.

Skinner and colleagues reconciled those discrepancies by analyzing information from

all six regional maps, along with the new lunar orbiter observations, to figure out
the proper identifications for different surface features. That allowed the team to
draw up a comprehensive geologic map of the whole moon.

Detailed observations from the lunar orbiters were especially helpful for clearing
up uncertainties in how different craters overlapped with each other, which
revealed the craters’ relative ages. Hammering out crater formation timelines gives
insight into the moon’s history (SN: 3/26/18).

The new map could also inform future human missions to the moon by revealing
regions that may be rich in useful resources or areas that need more detailed
mapping to land a spacecraft there safely (SN: 12/16/19).

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Editor's Note: This story was updated April 25, 2020, to clarify James Skinner's
role in creating the new moon maps and correct information in the video caption.
The blue and green colors signify time periods, not specific craters.
CITATIONS
C.M. Fortezzo et al. Release of the digital Unified Global Geologic Map of the moon
at 1:5,000,000-scale. Canceled 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 2020.

Maria Temming
About Maria Temming
E-mail
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Maria Temming is the staff reporter for physical sciences, covering everything from
chemistry to computer science and cosmology. She has bachelor's degrees in physics
and English, and a master's in science writing.

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