On April 21, China announced the release of the world’s first high-precision geological map of the Moon, based on data obtained from the Chang’e exploration program.
The geological map is at a scale of 1:2.5 million and includes a comprehensive geological map of the entire Moon, a map showing the distribution of various rock types on the Moon, a tectonic outline map, and 30 standard supplementary geological maps of the Moon.
According to information on the website of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the map was developed under the leadership of Academician Ouyang Ziyuan and researcher Liu Jianzhong from the CAS Institute of Geochemistry, in collaboration with many scientists from universities and research institutes since 2012.
China has released the world’s first high-precision geological map of the Moon. (Photo: Chinese Academy of Sciences).
Academician Ouyang Ziyuan stated that current lunar geological research still relies on maps developed during the American Apollo program, which are at a scale of approximately 1:5 million. As research delves deeper, especially with China’s implementation of the Chang’e Moon Exploration Program, the old geological maps no longer meet the scientific research and future exploration needs of the Moon. Therefore, the research group he leads has produced this new map.
Researcher Liu Jianzhong added that the map was drawn based on a comprehensive understanding of the Moon’s origin and evolutionary processes, utilizing scientific exploration data from the Chang’e program, while also referencing existing data and research results from both domestic and international sources.
During the press conference announcing the map, he also revealed that in addition to continuously advancing the Chang’e program and collecting increasing amounts of lunar data, the research group has planned to compile an even more precise geological map of the Moon at a scale of 1:1 million since two years ago. They aim to combine this with the needs of lunar exploration and scientific research, proposing the idea of creating maps at scales of 1:10,000 and even 1:5,000 for targeted areas such as the landing zones of future lunar exploration missions. Additionally, geological maps of Mars have also been included in the plan to meet the research needs regarding the geological evolution of Mars.
