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About 3.8 billion years ago, it’s believed that two large canyons were likely carved into the surface of the moon over a period of roughly 10 minutes, according to a recent study.
Targets a human landing in late 2026.
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The energy released in creating the canyons is estimated to have been between 1,200 and 2,200 times more powerful than the energy that was originally intended to be released through nuclear explosions to dig a second Panama Canal.
Future missions could explore the moon’s impact basin to collect rock samples, enabling a deeper understanding of the mysterious origins and past of the moon. Examining the moon could also provide insights into the early days of the solar system, as scientists study the collisions between asteroids and other space rocks and the planets and moons they struck.
The early history of the Solar System’s bombardment of Earth has largely been wiped out over time, explained lead researcher Dr. David Kring, principal scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute, via email. This information has been lost due to processes like erosion, plate tectonics, and other geological activities. To better grasp the impact Earth experienced in its early stages, scientists need to gather samples from places on the Moon similar to the Schrödinger basin and its canyons.
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Ridges and gorges created by flows of rocky material extend outward from Schrödinger basin.
A spacecraft has been orbiting around the moon since 2009. The data from this spacecraft enabled the team to create detailed maps of the area, covering the basin and its nearby surroundings.
The measurements indicated that these two canyons were comparable in width and length to the Grand Canyon. Vallis Schrödinger is 270 kilometers long and 2.7 kilometers deep, and Vallis Planck is 280 kilometers long and 3.5 kilometers deep.
I’ve had the opportunity to teach both students and astronauts near the Grand Canyon, and I’ve also taken several river trips through the canyon itself. From that experience, I gained a deep appreciation for the Grand Canyon’s massive scale and how it can help people visualize the vastness of the lunar landscape.
The spacecraft data allowed researchers to measure the distances from the impact points to each canyon, which were then used to calculate the speeds of the rocks that formed the canyons and the sizes of the rocks that were part of those streams, according to Kring.
The calculations allowed scientists to piece together what occurred approximately 3.8 billion years ago, a period marked by intense bombardment from asteroids and comets that slammed into the Earth and moon.
According to Kring, about 4 billion years ago, an asteroid or comet struck the lunar surface near the south pole, grazing the summits of Malapert and Mouton mountains, and deposited high-energy streams of rock.
For instance, it took around 5 to 6 million years for the Colorado River to gradually wear down the landscape of Arizona and form the Grand Canyon in the United States.
The object that collided with the moon is thought to have been traveling at speeds of over 34,000 miles per hour or nearly 55,000 kilometers per hour. The impact produced the Schrödinger basin, which is about 200 miles wide, and also sent debris outward, creating deep grooves that extend outward from the basin.
Objects that were ejected from the lunar surface and created the canyons likely flew back and plummeted to the ground at speeds of roughly 2,237 miles per hour (3,600 kilometers per hour). These secondary impact craters are believed to be the source of the canyons, according to research.
Investigating lunar history
The impacts that formed the canyons released an enormous amount of energy. Estimates suggest it was over 700 times greater than the combined force of all past nuclear explosions conducted by the United States, the former Soviet Union, and China. Additionally, the energy released from these ancient impacts was approximately 130 times more powerful than the energy stored in the world’s total nuclear arsenal.
Many impact craters on our planet have been erased by erosion and other natural processes over time, but studying the moon’s craters can provide valuable insights into what occurred on Earth billions of years ago.
This work on Mars has shown us just how violently extreme the ejecta can be on Earth,” said study coauthor Gareth Collins, a planetary science professor at Imperial College London. “By shedding light on how Schrödinger’s giant canyons were formed, it’s revealed the tremendous energy released from these massive impacts.
Noah Petro, a NASA scientist overseeing the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Artemis III project – which has set a goal to send humans back to the moon for the first time in nearly five decades, told NASA, that the research offers a compelling theory for the canyons’ origin.
The researchers in this paper are proposing a theory linking the creation of secondary craters and the gullies around them to their central point of impact, which they believe was formed 3.8 billion years ago. The study establishes a connection between the modern observations made from a spacecraft that has been orbiting the moon for over 15 years and the original event that shaped the basin, adding to our understanding of how the basin was formed and its geometry.
There’s always something thrilling about uncovering the layers of history that are so remarkably well-preserved on the moon.
Exploring the Possibilities of Lunar Adventure
The south pole of the moon holds many unresolved geological secrets that scientists are enthusiastic to investigate, as Petro noted.
The Schrödinger impact basin, one of the newest and most massive craters on the moon, is in close proximity to the moon’s oldest and largest impact basin, according to Petro.
Schrödinger is situated at the outer edge of the South Pole-Aitken basin, which is an area to be explored by planned American space missions to the moon.
The age of the South Pole–Aitken basin is approximately 4.3 billion years, but it’s only through examining rock samples that we can confirm if that facts holds up.
Astronauts who walk on the south pole will likely be the first humans to set foot on the oldest rocks on Earth.
The new study reveals that debris from moon impacts which formed the Schrödinger basin and its canyons was ejected outward, moving away from the southern lunar pole, instead of being buried. Consequently, any lunar rocks retrieved by the astronauts on the Artemis missions will likely offer valuable insights into the early history of the moon.
Kring and his team plan to proceed with further research on potential sites that could possibly be targeted by future space missions.
Hopefully, we will make a landing in the Schrödinger Basin by 2026, as part of a NASA program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services, under the Artemis program. A robotic mission is planned, which will transport seismometers to the Moon to study how tectonic activity is occurring inside the lunar interior, among other science goals.
The far side of the moon is where true exploration begins,” says Petro. “Whether it’s a robotic probe or a human mission, Schrödinger basin has never been seen or visited. We’re venturing into the uncharted area of these massive craters because of their extraordinary nature. These huge craters act like giant excavators, uncovering subsurface material and making them fascinating objectives to study.
Krings reckons gathering samples from the basin and canyons will aid in establishing the accuracy of their estimated ages, as well as help investigate the ancient lunar materials that were brought to the surface.
“He mentioned that astronauts are able to collect samples from canyons with a depth of up to 1.9 miles below the surface.”
and the astronauts would be able to witness breathtaking vistas.
“They would be incredible natural wonders if they existed on our planet, and would likely be protected as a national or international park,” Kring said.
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