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Lunar Volcanism

The Moon does not have erupting volcanoes today, but it was once flooded with flowing lava.

Satellite image of the Moon’s surface. In the middle of the image, the surface is sharply interrupted by what appears to be an opening in the roof of a cave. The landscape is illuminated at a low angle, revealing a small part of what looks like a larger void below the opening.

The Moon began as a molten world. Though volcanoes are not erupting on the lunar surface now, signs of past volcanic activity (like caves, plains, and domes made of cooled lava) are widespread. Scientists investigate lunar geology, including past volcanism, to learn more about how our Moon formed—which helps us to understand how other rocky worlds form and change, too.

Explore Lunar Volcanism Stories

  • 01

    New Evidence Adds to Findings Hinting at Network of Caves on Moon

    An international team of scientists using data from NASA’s LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) has discovered evidence of caves beneath the Moon’s surface. Like “lava tubes” found here on Earth, scientists suspect that lunar caves formed when molten lava flowed beneath a field of cooled lava, or a crust formed over a river of lava, leaving a long, hollow tunnel.

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    Two rows of five squares, each showing a round depression in the center of a gray background. The depressions vary in sizes, and the backgrounds vary in shades of gray.
    These images from NASA’s LRO spacecraft show a collection of pits detected on the Moon. Each image covers an area about 728 feet wide.
    NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
  • 02

    A Lunar Mystery: The Gruithuisen Domes

    The Gruithuisen Domes are a geologic puzzle. Based on early telescopic and spacecraft observations, these domes have long been suspected to be formed by a magma rich in silica, similar in composition to granite.

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    This is an image of the Gruithuisen Domes, taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The Gruithuisen Domes protrude outward from the surrounding lunar terrain. The Gruithuisen Domes were formed by eruptions of silicic lavas, which didn't flow outward easily, creating domes.
    The Gruithuisen Domes, imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).
    NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
  • 03

    Compare Lava Landscapes on Earth and the Moon

    Similar locations on different worlds, called planetary analogs, help scientists to make sense of our solar system – and field research in Earth’s most otherworldly places bridges the gap between past and future exploration.

    Interactive Gallery

    Left: on Hawaiʻi’s Kilauea Volcano, researchers use aerial cameras and hand-held science instruments to characterize their surroundings. Right: An Apollo 15 astronaut at work near Hadley Rille on the Moon.
    NASA
  • 04

    Wrinkle Ridge in Mare Crisium

    Mare Crisium is a large, dark, basaltic plain on the Moon. Basaltic plains on the Moon were created by early volcanic eruptions. Mare Crisium was once flooded with basaltic lava, a dark, runny lava commonly found on Earth.

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    Overhead view of a pockmarked landform on the Moon. Light catches the curved edge of the ridge on the left; its right edge is in shadow. This site is of interest to scientists studying lunar vol
    A complex wrinkle ridge in Mare Crisium, imaged by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC).
    NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University

Learn More

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

10 Cool Things NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter is Teaching Us About the Moon

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