Scientists have discovered that two massive canyons near the Moon’s south pole, comparable in size to Arizona’s Grand Canyon, were formed in under 10 minutes when an asteroid struck the lunar surface approximately 3.8 billion years ago. The event unleashed energy 130 times greater than the combined power of all nuclear weapons on Earth today.
The Birth of Lunar Canyons
The impact occurred in the Schrödinger impact basin, a large crater on the Moon’s far side, which is never visible from Earth. When the asteroid, estimated to be about 15 miles (25 km) in diameter, collided with the surface, it ejected vast amounts of rock and debris into the air. These fragments, traveling at speeds of up to 2,200 miles (3,600 km) per hour, crashed back down in a series of secondary impacts that carved out two massive canyons: Vallis Planck and Vallis Schrödinger.
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Vallis Planck stretches 174 miles (280 km) long and plunges 2.2 miles (3.5 km) deep, while Vallis Schrödinger measures 168 miles (270 km) long and 1.7 miles (2.7 km) deep. In contrast, the Grand Canyon is longer at 446 miles (718 km) but shallower, reaching depths of only 1.9 miles (3 km).
Tracing the Impact’s Aftermath
Researchers used data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to map the canyons and reconstruct the impact. Their computer models confirmed that the asteroid’s debris flowed mostly away from the Moon’s south pole, shaping the canyons in a linear pattern. Unlike Earth’s Grand Canyon, which was gradually carved by the Colorado River over millions of years, these lunar canyons were created almost instantly.
The asteroid impact occurred during a chaotic period in the early solar system when massive space rocks were frequently colliding with planetary bodies. This particular impact was one of the last of these catastrophic events, leaving permanent scars on the Moon’s surface. In contrast, Earth has erased most of its ancient craters due to plate tectonics, a geological process that constantly reshapes the planet’s surface.
Implications for NASA’s Artemis Mission
The discovery has major implications for future lunar exploration. NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission aims to land astronauts near the Moon’s south pole, an area where the impact debris is minimal. This is beneficial for scientists because older lunar rocks—possibly dating back more than 4 billion years—remain exposed at the surface, untouched by the catastrophic event.
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Studying these rocks could provide insights into the Moon’s origins. Some scientists believe the Moon was created when a large celestial body collided with Earth, ejecting molten material into space that later formed the lunar surface. Additionally, evidence suggests that the Moon’s early crust may have been an ocean of magma. Artemis astronauts could help test these theories by collecting rock samples from undisturbed regions near the impact basin.