American scientists from the University of California Kansas Geological Survey said that due to human impact, the Moon has entered a new geological era, the Lunar Anthropocene. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Natural Geology (NatGeo).
Mankind first disturbed the surface of our satellite on September 13, 1959, with the successful landing of the Soviet space station Luna 2 on lunar soil. More than a hundred spacecraft have visited the Moon since then, and some of them have crashed. One of the most famous missions was the American Apollo program, which allowed humans to find themselves on a neighboring celestial body.
“This idea is very similar to discussions of the Anthropocene on Earth, which is the study of how much humans are impacting our planet,” said Justin Holcomb, lead author of the study.
According to experts, everyone agrees that the Anthropocene has reached Earth, as humanity has had a significant impact on the planet. The same can be said for the Moon. The announcement of a new geological epoch on the Moon should also highlight the negative anthropogenic impact on the lunar ecology.
“Although the Moon has neither an atmosphere nor a magnetosphere, we know that it has a fragile exosphere of ice and dust in permanently shadowed regions, both of which are susceptible to the spread of gaseous emissions. The authors of the scientific paper noted that future missions should consider reducing harmful effects on the lunar environment.
happened before knownThis man will not be able to land on the Moon again until at least 2027.