A significant impact crater located near the moon’s south pole was created by an asteroid traveling over a kilometer per second, releasing energy equivalent to 130 times all existing nuclear weapons combined. New research indicates that two exceptionally narrow and straight canyons, emerging from the crater’s center, formed in less than 10 minutes due to a series of secondary debris impacts.
Researchers at the Lunar and Planetary Institute have been investigating the 312-kilometer-wide Schrödinger crater for 15 years, initially focusing on potential landing sites for moon missions. The canyons radiating from this crater have generated intrigue among scientists.
“They are relatively concealed, yet fascinating, primarily because they are located on the moon’s far side,” a researcher noted. “As a result, they are frequently overlooked.”
The team employed computer models to explore the origins of two canyons, known as “rays,” that extend northward from the crater. Vallis Schrödinger is 270 kilometers long and 2.7 kilometers deep, while Vallis Planck measures 280 kilometers in length and 3.5 kilometers in depth. For context, the Grand Canyon spans 446 kilometers and reaches a depth of 1.9 kilometers.
Unlike the Grand Canyon, which was shaped by water over millions of years, these lunar canyons are sharp, linear features created by immense impact forces in a mere 10 minutes. The asteroid strike also scattered dust and debris across the moon’s surface and into space, potentially reaching Earth.
The research team postulated that this event could have propelled debris across the lunar surface, resulting in craters beyond the main impact zone. These could have been concentrated into narrow pathways due to irregularities in the moon’s regolith—the loose material covering its surface.
Using their models, the researchers estimated that an asteroid impact approximately 3.81 billion years ago was responsible for generating the necessary speed and trajectory of debris that formed the canyons. “The impact would send rocks flying at speeds of one to two kilometers per second, causing significant devastation,” researchers explained. “While we knew the Schrödinger impact produced these rays, the processes involved required further investigation.”
The findings are encouraging for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts near the south pole of the moon. The ejected regolith from the Schrödinger crater is not expected to be deep enough in proposed landing areas to obstruct geological studies. However, landing north of the crater could present challenges due to a thicker layer of material concealing earlier geological formations.
Experts emphasize that further exploration is essential to confirm how these canyons were formed. “The ultimate validation would come from bringing back rocks from one of these canyons for analysis. Their structure could reveal evidence of shock from past impacts,” stated a researcher.
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