The moon is much older than it looks, new research suggests

Tweet Facebook Mail The moon looks a lot younger than it actually is, according to astronomers at the University of California. New research suggests the moon could actually be 4.51 billion years old, rather than the previously agreed upon age of 4.

35 billion years old.  It is widely believed that the moon was formed in a collision between Earth and a developing planet, referred to as a protoplanet, the size of Mars. READ MORE: Detainees linked to 2002 Bali bombing moved from Guantánamo after guilty plea New research suggests the moon could actually be 4.



51 billion years old, rather than the previously agreed upon age of 4.35 billion years old.  (AP) Following the collision, the moon's ocean of magma began to solidify to become the moon.

Now, new research argues that the moon's surface could have "remelted" around 4.35 billion years ago, masking the much older sediment below. "The Moon experienced sufficient tidal heating and melting to reset the formation ages of most lunar samples while retaining an earlier frozen-in shape and rare, earlier-formed zircons [minerals]," the report reads.

The October supermoon in pictures View Gallery The "remelting" would have changed the appearance of certain rock samples on the moon, making them appear younger than they actually are, the research suggests. Scientists also said that the theory explains why there's a lack of impact craters on the moon's surface, as the "remelting" would have smoothed them out..