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Geological information is essential for a country like Japan, located at a tectonically active area, to ensure a safe and secure society. The Geological Survey of Japan gathers, compiles, and provides geological information and promotes its wider use. We also develop technologies to overcome various difficulties related to global environment protection, exploration of minerals and energy resources, and natural disaster mitigation, and coordinate international cooperation as a national representative.
Researchers of AIST, Ritsumeikan University and University of Aizu have successfully identified areas of concentrations of ilmenite on the Moon's surface by data mining analysis using hyperspectral data acquired by the lunar exploration satellite KAGUYA (SELENE), and succeeded in identifying the highest concentrated areas of ilmenite. Detailed analysis of the identified concentrated areas using a high-spatial resolution terrain camera and a multi-band imager that can observe in multiple wavelengths of electromagnetic waves revealed that ilmenite is widely distributed in lunar pyroclastic deposits. Water, oxygen, iron, and titanium extracted from ilmenite (FeTiO3) are essential resources for human base construction and manned activities on the Moon. The results of this research are expected to contribute to the design plan for a sustainable resource extraction base on the Moon and to stimulate a new space industry market through the development of technologies for oxygen supply and manufacturing of lightweight materials on the Moon. Details of the results were published in the Journal of Geophysical Research-Planets on March 10, 2025.
Distribution map of ilmenite-rich areas on the Moon (marked in yellow) The background is a lunar brightness map (produced using multi-band data from the lunar explorer KAGUYA (SELENE)). The dark region in the figure is a region called "mare" covered with basalt, corresponding to the so-called "Moon rabbit” in Japan. *Data published in the KAGUYA (SELENE) Data Archive (https://darts.isas.jaxa.jp/app/pdap/selene/index.html.ja) (ISAS/JAXA) are processed and used.
Researchers from AIST, in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have discovered that methanogenic archaea ("methanogens") living underground can change the "indicators" of thermogenic natural gas to those of biogenic gas. This could significantly change the information on the origins and reserves of natural gas, raising the possibility of uncovering new natural gas deposits that have previously been overlooked. Understanding where and how methane, the main component of natural gas, is produced is crucial for assessing global natural gas resources. Until now, "stable isotope signals" have been used as an indicator to distinguish the origin of methane. However, this approach has faced a major problem that has remained unsolved for nearly half a century: the stable isotope signal of biogenic methane produced by methanogens in the subsurface cannot be reproduced in a laboratory methanogen culture. In this study, researchers developed a high-pressure culture system that can faithfully simulate the underground conditions. Using this system, they achieved a world-first: experimentally replicating the stable isotope signals of biogenic methane produced underground. Furthermore, they uncovered a surprising phenomenon: methanogens can alter the stable isotope signals of coexisting thermogenic methane, effectively overwriting them to mimic those of biogenic methane. This discovery indicates that the quantity of thermogenic methane may have been underestimated, and highlights the need for a significant revision of our understanding about the origins of the natural gas deposits. Consequently, these findings prompt a reevaluation of exploration methods for natural gas deposits, raising the possibility of discovering previously overlooked reserves.
The origins of methane in natural gas deposits and the phenomenon of methanogens overwriting the origin indicators
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