The Yutu-2 rover, equipped with Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR), has significantly enhanced our understanding of the moon's geological history by mapping more than 1,000 feet of its subsurface layers. This groundbreaking research, conducted since the rover's landing on the moon's far side in January 2019, has revealed crucial information regarding volcanic rocks, dust, and impact craters that lay beneath the surface, offering insights that date back billions of years.

The Chang’e-4 mission, utilizing the advanced LPR technology, has provided scientists with a remarkable ability to penetrate the lunar surface and reveal structures previously hidden from view. By sending radio signals deep into the moon and measuring the returning echoes, researchers successfully discovered various geological layers, each telling a part of the moon’s storied past. The data released in 2023 includes findings of five distinct layers of volcanic rock and highlights an ancient impact crater, signifying the dynamic processes that have shaped the lunar landscape over time.

Previously, lunar exploration missions primarily focused on the uppermost geological layers. However, the data obtained through LPR marks a paradigm shift in lunar geology, allowing scientists to piece together a more detailed narrative of the moon's volcanic and impact history. As experts like Jianqing Feng from the Planetary Science Institute have noted, these findings illustrate the moon's cooling process, suggesting that volcanism was once prominent on the moon but has since diminished.

In addition to volcanic activity, the identification of a buried impact crater has significant implications. This crater, formed by a large cosmic object, is surrounded by ejecta, offering clues about the moon's tumultuous early existence marked by frequent collisions with space debris. Such discoveries enhance our comprehension of the chaotic conditions that prevailed in the solar system's formative years, where volcanic activity and impacts were interlinked, fostering the moon’s unique geological layers.

Feng’s observations indicate that as the moon aged, its internal energy dwindled, resulting in less frequent volcanic eruptions and thinner lava flows. While most researchers concur that volcanic activity largely ceased around one billion years ago, there is still a possibility that magma could exist deep within the moon, suggesting that our understanding of its geological history is still evolving.

These findings not only shed light on the moon's past but also open up avenues for future exploration. As scientists continue to analyze the data from the Chang’e-4 mission, new insights into the moon’s history and the potential for uncovering its volcanic remnants may emerge. This ongoing research signifies a monumental leap in lunar exploration and contributes profoundly to our understanding of the moon’s evolution from a geologically active body to a largely dormant one, echoing the complexities of an ever-changing celestial environment.