Moon 'used to have Caribbean Sea-sized body of water', scientists say

[Judi Lynn]

.METRO WEB REPORTER - 27th May, 2011

Moon 'used to have Caribbean Sea-sized body of water', scientists say

Analysis of sediment brought back by the Apollo 17 mission has indicated that the Moon's interior holds more water than previously thought.
.Around 100 times more water than had previously been recorded was discovered in volcanic material locked within tiny glass beads.

The analysis suggests that the Moon may have once held a Caribbean Sea-sized volume of water and the findings have cast a shadow on how the Moon was first formed.

Previously, the predominant theory was that much of the water present on the Moon's surface arrived via impacts by icy comets or watery meteorites.

Erik Hauri, a geochemist from the Carnegie Institution and lead author of the new research, told the BBC: 'What we've done now is find samples of magma that are present as "inclusions" that are trapped inside solid crystals called olivine.'

More:
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/864595-moon-used-to-have-caribbean-sea-sized-body-of-water-scientists-say