A recent study has found that two giant canyons of similar size on the moon were formed by impacting rock flows in less than 10 minutes.
According to a study published on Tuesday (February 6) in the journal “Nature Communications,” these two canyons are part of the Schrödinger impact basin. Billions of years ago, an unknown celestial body violently collided with the moon, creating the impact crater and possibly leading to the birth of Schrödinger Valley and Planck Valley.
The research team estimates that the energy released by this impact was 1,200 to 2,200 times more powerful than the nuclear explosion planned by the United States to dig the second Panama Canal.
The size of these moon canyons can be compared to the Grand Canyon on Earth, but they are hidden on the far side of the moon, close to the South Pole.
Schrödinger Valley: 270 kilometers (168 miles) long, 2.7 kilometers (1.7 miles) deep, radiating towards the impact basin.
Planck Valley: 280 kilometers (174 miles) long, 3.5 kilometers (2.2 miles) deep, also radially pointing towards the impact basin.
The lead researcher, Dr. David Kring, told CNN, “I have led students and astronauts in training in the Grand Canyon, experiencing the spectacular landscape firsthand, which helps people understand the amazing scale of the moon canyons.”
The latest analysis shows that high-energy rock flows may have carved out these two canyons in less than 10 minutes when the celestial body impacted the moon.
The research results indicate that about 3.8 billion years ago, a small asteroid or comet grazed the Malapert and Mouton mountains before striking the surface of the moon.
“This impact ejected high-energy rock flows and cut out two canyons in less than 10 minutes,” Kring said.
In comparison, the Colorado River on Earth took 5 to 6 million years to erode and form the Grand Canyon in Arizona.
The research team used data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to analyze the geological features of these canyons in detail.
This probe, which has been orbiting the moon since 2009, allowed researchers to map the area and confirm that these canyons were formed by fragments ejected from impacts.
Scientists speculate that the celestial body impacting the moon was traveling at over 34,000 miles per hour, creating a 320-kilometer (about 200 miles) diameter Schrödinger impact basin, and ejecting a large number of fragments. These fragments re-impacted the surface of the moon at a speed of 3,600 kilometers per hour (2,237 miles per hour), ultimately forming these two canyons.
Scientists estimate that this impact occurred about 4.3 billion years ago, but only rock sample analysis can determine its exact age. While impact craters on Earth have largely disappeared due to natural erosion, those on the moon provide valuable clues to help understand Earth’s environment billions of years ago.
NASA’s LRO probe has provided scientists with the largest dataset in the history of NASA planetary science exploration. As the probe and its instruments continue to operate effectively, NASA has extended the LRO’s mission and made it a core tool for advancing lunar science research. This is the fifth extended science mission (ESM5) of LRO.
Studying this area is crucial for NASA’s Artemis missions, as NASA has selected this area as part of its future manned lunar exploration plans.
NASA plans to execute the Artemis III mission by the end of 2026, sending humans to the rarely explored South Pole region of the moon.