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A recent study reveals that a massive meteorite impact on the Moon, occurring approximately 3.8 billion years ago, created two canyons as deep as the Grand Canyon in just 10 minutes. Researchers from the Lunar and Planetary Institute, led by David Kring, estimated that the impact, caused by a meteorite 25 kilometers in diameter, released energy 130 times more powerful than the world's total nuclear arsenal.
The study, published in Nature Communications, describes the formation of the Schrödinger and Planck valleys, each around 270 kilometers long and 3.5 kilometers deep. The resultant crater spans 320 kilometers in width, with debris accumulating to form circular mountain ranges reaching heights of 2,500 meters.
This discovery is particularly significant for astronauts planning to land in the lunar south pole’s Aitken Basin under NASA's Artemis program in 2027. It opens opportunities for collecting ancient rocks, shedding light on the Moon's early history, according to Kring. This impact event serves as a key analogue to Earth's past events, offering insight into similar geological formations.