Internal Structure

• Like the Earth, the Moon has a crust, mantle, and core.
  
• The lunar crust is rich in minerals and has an average crustal thickness of 60 to 70 kilometers, which is about 3 times the average crustal thickness on Earth.
  
• The lunar mantle lies between the crust and the core and consists mostly of minerals.
  
• The core is probably composed mostly of iron and sulfur and extends from the center of the Moon out to a radius of no more than 450 kilometers, i.e., the core radius is less than 25% of the Moon's radius, which is quite small.
  

• The Moon has cold, dry interior.
• Because the Moon is smaller than Earth, it is expected to have cooled more rapidly, producing a cold interior.
• The absence of water may be due either to the failure of the Moon to accumulate water when it formed or to subsequent loss of water to space.
• Below 1000 kilometers depth, there is possibly indication of the presence of a small amount of molten rock.

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