New research reveals that two canyons near the moon’s south pole, each comparable in size to Earth’s Grand Canyon, were formed in under 10 minutes due to the debris from an asteroid or comet impact about 3.8 billion years ago. This event, which released energy equivalent to 130 times the current global nuclear arsenal, occurred in the Schrödinger impact basin on the moon’s far side. Scientists used NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter data and computer modeling to study the canyons, named Vallis Planck and Vallis Schrödinger, which measure roughly 280 km and 270 km in length, respectively. This discovery highlights a period of heavy bombardment in the solar system’s early history, contrasting with Earth’s surface changes due to plate tectonics. The findings also have implications for NASA’s upcoming Artemis mission, as the impact has potentially brought ancient lunar rocks closer to the surface, aiding in the collection of samples that could provide insights into the moon’s formation and its early magma ocean hypothesis.
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