China on Sunday released a geologic atlas set of the global moon with a scale of 1:2.5 million, which is the first complete high-definition lunar geologic atlas in the world, providing basic map data for future lunar research and exploration.
This geologic atlas set, available in both Chinese and English, includes the Geologic Atlas of the Lunar Globe and the Map Quadrangles of the Geologic Atlas of the Moon, according to the Institute of Geochemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
"The geologic atlas of the moon is of great significance for studying the evolution of the moon, selecting the site for a future lunar research station and utilizing lunar resources. It can also help us better understand the Earth and other planets in the solar system, such as Mars," said Ouyang Ziyuan, who is a CAS academician and a well-known lunar scientist.
"The world has witnessed significant progress in the field of lunar exploration and scientific research over the past decades, which have greatly improved our understanding of the moon. However, the lunar geologic maps published during the Apollo era have not been changed for about half a century, and are still being used for lunar geological research. With the improvements of lunar geologic studies, those old maps can no longer meet the needs of future scientific research and lunar exploration," said Liu Jianzhong, a senior researcher from the Institute of Geochemistry of the CAS.
Since 2012, Ouyang Ziyuan and Liu Jianzhong have led a team of scientists and cartographers from relevant research institutions in compiling this atlas.
With a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the origin and evolution of the moon, the team compiled the atlas based on scientific exploration data gained from China's Chang'e lunar exploration program and other research results from both Chinese and international missions, Liu said.
This atlas set not only provides basic data and scientific references for the formulation and implementation of scientific goals in China's lunar exploration program, but also fills the blank in China's compilation of geologic maps of the moon and planets, contributing to the study of the origin and evolution of the moon and the solar system, Liu said.
Based on the perspective of lunar dynamic evolution, Chinese researchers creatively established an updated lunar geological time scale, objectively depicting the geological evolution of the moon, and clearly showing the characteristics of lunar tectonic and magmatic evolution.
A total of 12,341 impact craters, 81 impact basins, 17 types of lithologies and 14 types of structures all over the moon are mapped in the atlas.
This atlas set has been integrated into the digital lunar cloud platform built by Chinese scientists, and will serve lunar scientific research, science education, as well as landing site selection, lunar resource exploration and path planning for China's future lunar exploration projects, Liu said.
He mentioned that China's upcoming Chang'e-6 mission is expected to collect samples in the Apollo Basin within the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon, which means materials ejected from ancient terrain may be collected in the process. "Our map can provide a macroscopic geologic background to improve the purpose and efficiency of the sample research," Liu explained.
The compilation of this map was an immense task, which required the organization and cooperation of many well-informed researchers over many years to be able to achieve a consistent and complete result, commented Gregory Michael, a senior scientist from the Free University of Berlin in Germany.
"This map, in particular, is the first on a global scale to utilize all of the post-Apollo era data. It builds on the achievements of the international community over the last decades, as well as on China's own highly successful Chang'e program. It will be a starting point for every new question of lunar geology, and become a primary resource for researchers studying lunar processes of all kinds," Michael added.
全球首套高精度月球地质图集正式发布，图集包括《1:250万月球全月地质图集》和《1:250万月球分幅地质图集》（中英文版，含说明书），其中《1:250万月球全月地质图集》包含《1:250万月球全月地质图》、《1:250万月球岩石类型分布图》和《1:250万月球构造纲要图》，《1:250万分幅地质图集》包含30幅月球标准分幅地质图。
这一图集是由中国科学院地球化学研究所欧阳自远院士和刘建忠研究员，组织吉林大学、山东大学、中国地质大学（北京）、中国地质科学院地质研究所以及中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所等单位的科学家和制图人员，共同研编的。
图集采用中英文双语，其中主图《1:250万月球全月地质图》利用青、黑、黄、品红4个基色叠印出共150种颜色，对月球进行“三宙六纪”的地质年代划分；识别并标记全月12341个撞击坑、81个撞击盆地、17种岩石类型、14类构造，建立了统一的盆地建造亚类的分类体系。同时，图集还表达探测着陆点、特殊高程点等一些特殊要素。此外，说明书与图集同步发布，详细介绍了编图使用的数据、图件比例尺选择原则、图面表达内容、“三宙六纪”月球地质年代划分方案、构造和岩石类型分类体系和月球地质演化历史等内容。
欧阳自远介绍：“目前，月球地质研究仍沿用美国阿波罗计划时期研制的月球地质图，比例大概为1:500万。随着研究的深入，特别是我国探月工程的实施，这份月球地质图已不能满足未来的科研和月球探测需求，这也是我们研编新月球地质图的初衷之一。”
刘建忠介绍，研编团队基于月球起源和演化过程的整体性和规律性认识，以我国嫦娥工程科学探测数据为基础，同时参考国内外已有的探测数据和研究成果，通过对月球岩石建造、地质构造、时代等要素的研究和归集，建立具有自主知识产权的月球地质编图技术规范和标准，编制了1:250万月球数字地质-构造系列图件。
与阿波罗时期的月球地质图相比，这一系列图基于月球动力学演化的规律，创造性建立了“三宙六纪”的月球地质年代划分方案，更加客观地刻画月球的地质演化历史；建立了以内、外动力地质演化为主线的月球构造和岩石类型分类体系，更清晰地表达了月球构造和岩石的演化特征；构建了月球撞击盆地和盆地建造亚类的分类体系，建立了盆地演化序列，提出了盆地及亚类建造的识别标志等创新成果，构建了以内、外动力地质作用并重驱动的类地行星演化新框架。
刘建忠说：“这是是一份月球科学领域立典式综合集成成果，不仅可以为探月工程科学目标制定和工程实施提供基础资料和科学参考，也填补了我国在月球与地外行星地质图编研方面的空白，为月球起源和演化乃至太阳系演化的研究作出中国贡献。”