Japanese scientists claim to have found giant tunnels on the moon
A group of Japanese scientists claims to have found huge underground tunnels on the moon. In the future, they could host an Earth colony, according to researchers at the 48th Lunar and Planetary Sciences conference.
According to their study, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, Japanese experts were able to discover the gigantic formations thanks to the Kaguya space probe.
High-precision devices have found holes many kilometers below the surface of Earth\’s natural satellite that, in the long term, could become a suitable location for the first human colonies.
In 2009, a deep hole was discovered, tens of meters in diameter and located in the so-called Marius Hills. In 2016, a NASA mission found gravitational anomalies that possibly indicated gaps.
Japanese experts led by Junichi Haruyama concluded that they were not holes, but tunnels that penetrated the moon rock to a depth of many kilometers. It would be possible to build houses and human scientific centers there, he adds. These should be good choices for human colonies because they can protect the colonists from radiation and temperature variations.
For now, a reconnaissance mission is still pending to confirm or deny the existence of the lunar tunnels. The existence of tunnels on the Moon is not new, said Vladislav Shevchenko, head of the department for the study of the Moon and planets at the Sternberg Institute at Moscow State University Sternberg.
The expansion of the Marius Hills moat shows a small crater at the northwest end and small rocks on the south side of the hole. The hole is about 65 meters in diameter.
“These formations were discovered several years ago. At that time [experts] suddenly interpreted their origin: they are volcanic tubes because they are in the [lunar] seas. It is a well-known fact that these seas of the Moon are lava flows.
[These formations] are volcanic tubes that brought lava to the surface. Matter is compressed as it cools so that voids are created,” said Russian website BFM.ru. In fact, Russian users “did not catch the news off guard” because, according to them, “they read about this discovery in Soviet-era newspapers,” says the Russian media article. The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters.
