NASA calls the Gruithuisen Domes a “geologic enigma,” and for a good reason. Previous studies have shown that the composition of these domes — which are made of silica-rich magma — completely differs from the stuff that makes up the rest of the surrounding terrain, which is based on basaltic magma.
The critical difference between these two types of material is that while silica-based magma is more viscous and does not travel fast, basaltic lava is thin and runny in nature. It is the viscous nature of the silicic lava that prevented the lava from running off and creating these domes on the moon’s surface in the first place.
However, what makes the presence of silicic magma on the moon perplexing is the fact that this type of magma typically requires both water and plate tectonics to form. Neither water nor any manner of plate tectonics is known to exist on the moon at this time. So, the big question that has long troubled lunar geologists is the mystery behind the origins of these features on the lunar surface without these essential ingredients.
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