The digital versions of the full moon's geologic map with the world's highest resolution will be published this year, according to researchers.

The announcement came during the just-concluded Guizhou science and technology festival held in southwest China's Guizhou Province.

In May 2022, a Chinese research team announced they completed a 1:2,500,000-scale geologic map of the moon with the world's highest resolution.

Such a map of the moon can provide significant data for lunar scientific research, exploration planning, future landing-site selection, and so on, said Liu Jianzhong, a researcher at the Institute of Geochemistry under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Liu is also the executive chief editor of the map's publication.

The map of the entire moon is the result of a 10-year study undertaken by researchers from Shandong University, the CAS, and other institutions. It captures the lithologic features of 17 lunar rock types, offering details about the composition and distribution of lunar surface materials.

The map was drawn based on data from China's Chang'e project and other lunar exploration data and research results over the globe. Liu added geological lunar globes designed on the map have achieved mass production.

The research team is still working on a 1:1,000,000-scale geologic moon map.