Scientists have created the most detailed geological map of the moon

To create the map, the researchers compared cartographic data from six regions of the Moon obtained in

during the Apollo missions, and also added new information collected during flybys of the Earth's satellite.

Then, the scientists redrawed the historical maps of the surface in accordance with the updated data, thereby preserving previous observations and interpretations.

Along with merging new and old dataResearchers from the US Geological Survey also developed a unified description of stratigraphy (the layers of the Moon's rocks). This solved the problem of previous maps, where the names, descriptions and ages of boulders and craters varied widely from source to source.

The main feature of the card is in unprecedentedhigh detail: it was compiled on a scale of 1: 5,000,000. The authors of the work write that the map will become the final plan of the geology of the lunar surface for future missions to land a person on a natural satellite of the Earth. In addition, it "will be invaluable to the international scientific community, teachers and the general public."

This map is the culmination of many yearsproject and provides vital information for new scientific research, linking the study of specific points on the Moon with the rest of the lunar surface.

Corey Fortezzo, lead author of the study

You can look at the map here.

Previously, researchers estimated that more than 100 small meteorites fell on the Moon in two years.