Two canyons on the far side of the moon, each as large as Earth's Grand Canyon, formed within less than 10 minutes, most likely due to a massive impact there 3.8bn years ago. The object and its work are the subjects of scientific speculation in the journal Nature Communications.
About 3.8 billion years ago, two massive canyons likely formed on the moon in a span of less than 10 minutes, according to new research.
The extraordinary formations, each comparable in size to Earth's Grand Canyon, are hidden on the far side of the moon — the side that always faces away from Earth — near the lunar south pole, where NASA's Artemis III mission aims to land humans in late 2026. The energy unleashed that created the canyons was 1,200 to 2,200 times more powerful than the nuclear explosion energy once planned to excavate a second Panama Canal, the study authors estimate.
The research describes the geological data that led scientists to their understanding.
High energy streams of rock ejected from the Schrödinger impact basin carved two canyons in the lunar crust that are comparable in size to the Grand Canyon of North America. Here we use photogeologic mapping of those canyons and related impact ejecta deposits to show the trajectory of the impacting asteroid or comet, which produced an asymmetrical pattern of crater excavation and transport of ejected debris. The flow directions of that ejected debris and the speed of its subsequent impact with the lunar surface are calculated, as is the energy that carved the canyons in less than ten minutes. The study implies that most of the excavated debris was ejected away from the lunar south pole, minimizing the amount of debris that covers the > 4 billion year old units that will be explored by Artemis astronauts.
The U.S.'s planned return to the Moon would send humans to the region.
Artemis III will be one of the most complex undertakings of engineering and human ingenuity in the history of deep space exploration, exploring the lunar South Pole region. The astronauts' observations, samples, and data collected will expand our understanding of our solar system and home planet, while inspiring the Artemis Generation.
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