Massive Lava Tubes May Provide Shelter for Future Moon Exploration

Lava tubes that are large enough to house entire cities may actually exist on the moon. Scientists have discovered that these structures may actually exist and, in the future, provide shelter from cosmic radiation in space exploration.

Lava tubes form from the lava flow of volcanic eruptions. The edges of the lava cool as it flows to form a pipe-like crust around the flowing river of lava. When the eruption ends and the lava flow stops, the pipe drains leave behind a hollow tunnel.

Large channels are actually visible on the lunar surface, thought to be formed by lava flows. The sinuous rilles range in size up to 10 kilometers wide. In this latest study, the researchers looked at whether liva tubes of the same scale could exist.

"There has been some discussion of whether lava tubes might exist on the moon," said Jay Melosh, one of the researchers, in a news release. "Some evidence, like the sinuous rilles observed on the surface, suggest that if lunar lava tubes exist they might be really big."

The researchers looked at whether empty lava tubes more than 1 kilometer wide could exist. They found that if the lunar lava tubes existed with a strong arched shape, like those found on Earth, they would be stable up to several miles wide. S wouldn't be possible on Earth, but the gravity is much lower on the moon, which means that moon and lunar rock doesn't have to withstand the same weathering and erosion.

A lava tube's stability depends on the width, roof thickness and stress state of the cooled lava. This means that, in theory, we may be able to use the lava tubes as shelter during lunar exploration.

The findings were presented at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference on March 17.

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