科学家们刚刚发布了迄今为止最完整的月球地质图，它是如此的壮丽

科学家们刚刚发布了迄今为止最完整的月球地质图，它是如此的壮丽

Those light and dark spots you can see when you gaze at the Moon from afar are only hints of the rich geological diversity that can be found on our nearest celestial neighbour, and scientists have put together the most detailed map of the Moon's rock composition yet.

当你从远处凝视月球时，你能看到的那些亮点和暗点，只是在我们最近的天体邻居上发现的丰富的地质多样性的暗示，科学家们已经整理出了迄今为止最详细的月球岩石组成图。

Not only is the finished map incredible to look at, it'll also act as a blueprint for future missions to the Moon, guiding astronauts towards suitable landing spots and areas that are worthy of further scientific investigation.

完成后的地图不仅看起来令人难以置信，它还将作为未来月球任务的蓝图，引导宇航员前往合适的着陆点和值得进一步科学研究的地区。

The fascinating map of lunar geology has been put together by a team from NASA, the Lunar Planetary Institute in Texas, and the Astrogeology Science Center in Arizona, run by the US Geological Survey (USGS).

美国国家航空航天局(NASA)、德克萨斯州月球行星研究所(lunar Planetary Institute)和美国地质调查局(USGS)下属的亚利桑那州天体地质科学中心(astrogeological Science Center)共同绘制了这幅迷人的月球地质地图。

People have always been fascinated by the moon and when we might return, says Jim Reilly, former NASA astronaut and the current director of USGS. "So, it's wonderful to see USGS create a resource that can help NASA with their planning for future missions."

前美国国家航空航天局宇航员、现任美国地质勘探局局长吉姆·赖利说:“人们总是对月球和我们可能何时返回月球很感兴趣。”“所以，很高兴看到美国地质勘探局创造了一种资源，可以帮助NASA规划未来的任务。”

At a 1:5,000,000 scale, the map was compiled from data collected from six Apollo-era maps, as well as more recent satellite imagery. Geographical software was used to stitch all the parts into one coherent whole.

这张地图的比例尺为1:50万，是根据从六张阿波罗时代的地图以及最近的卫星图像收集的数据编制的。使用地理软件把所有的部分缝合成一个连贯的整体。

As well as combining several old and new datasets, the scientists behind the project also standardised the rock names, descriptions and ages – details that had previously varied from map to map.

除了结合了几组新旧数据集外，该项目背后的科学家们还对岩石的名称、描述和年龄进行了标准化——这些细节在之前的地图中是不同的。

Topological information has been added in, too: the locations of craters, crests, fissures, ridges, faults, and all the other irregularities in the Moon's surface. There's more to come, with experts planning even more detailed geological maps in the future.

地图中还添加了拓扑信息:月球表面的陨石坑、峰顶、裂缝、山脊、断层和所有其他不规则的地方。未来还会有更多，专家们计划在未来绘制更详细的地质图。

It was a huge effort for our team to complete this new map and make it seamless, says Justin Hagerty, Astrogeology Director at USGS. "Much of the historical mapping was performed by various groups and at regional scales."

美国地质勘探局的天体地质学主任贾斯汀·哈格蒂说:“我们的团队付出了巨大的努力来完成这幅新地图，并使之天衣无缝。”“很多历史地图都是由不同的团体和地区绘制的。”

Slightly different methods were used, so that maps of the same feature that had been mapped by different groups would not match.

“他们使用了略微不同的方法，因此不同组绘制的相同特征的地图将不匹配。”

The Moon does have a crust, a mantle and a core, but it doesn't have tectonic plates like Earth does. One of the ways in which a better understanding of the Moon's geology can be useful is in charting out its 4.5-billion-year history: how it came into being, the way it's evolved since, and everything that's collided with it along the way.

月球确实有地壳、地幔和地核，但它不像地球那样有构造板块。更好地了解月球地质的方法之一是绘制出它45亿年的历史:它是如何形成的，它是如何演变的，以及在发展过程中与它相撞的一切。

Studies of our satellite have also been helped by the rock samples that have been collected on lunar missions.

对我们的卫星的研究也得到了在月球任务中收集的岩石样本的帮助。

As for future missions, they will no doubt be consulting this new map. NASA is currently planning to send humans to the Moon again in 2024.

至于未来的任务，他们无疑会参考这张新地图。美国宇航局目前计划在2024年再次将人类送上月球。