An almost eternal footprint

1992/07/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Geologia
• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

About 3.6 million years ago the dust fog spilled by a volcano in the north of Tantzania covered the area. In 1979 the paleoanthropologist Mary Leakey discovered on these powders some footprints. He said that footprints of the feet could belong to some human ancestor.

At 380.000 km of the Earth, specifically in the Moon, in the "Sea of Calm", are the footprints of the first person who stepped on the earth of the satellite. On the Moon there is no atmosphere, so there is no wind or rain. In addition, it seems that seismic activity ended thousands of years ago. Therefore, these traces can remain forever.

However, James R, a scientist at the California university of San Diego. Arnold says: "Within 500,000 years these tracks will be eliminated by effect of cosmic rays. Arnold is a cosmochemist and together with other members of the laboratory he has developed a method to calculate the erosion rhythm of the lunar rocks.

The lack of atmosphere is the one that eliminates the types of erosion that occur on Earth, but at the same time leaves way to cosmic rays.