Some sides of the moon hold many mysteries that have puzzled astronomers for years. The massive trenches near the South pole of the moon is one of them. A recent study has revealed that an ancient asteroid impact on the Moon carved two massive canyons in a matter of minutes. This impact occurred approximately 3.8 billion years ago, near the Moon’s south pole. It  created the Vallis Schrödinger and Vallis Planck canyons.  

Formation of the canyons

Giant canyons were formed on the South Pole of the moon. Image courtesy- Pixabay/ ClaireDiaz

These two canyons were formed in less than 10 minutes due to extreme energy released by the impact. As per the computer simulations, the energy was released by 15 mile wide space rock. It released energy equivalent to about 130 times the global stockpile of nuclear weapons.

These canyons are truly gigantic. Vallis Schrödinger has about 168 miles (270 kilometers) length and 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers) depth.  While Vallis Planck has about 174 miles (280 kilometers) length and 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) depth.

Link to ancient collisions

Researchers believe that a massive asteroid collision on the Moon, which carved two enormous canyons, was triggered by shifts in the orbits of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
These planetary movements likely caused a surge of asteroids hurtling towards the inner solar system, with some being nudged onto a collision course with the Moon due to unusual gravitational forces.

The planetary collisions are linked with this occurrence. Image by- Pixabay/ mindofmush

Evidence suggests the lunar canyons were carved by debris ejected from the initial massive impact, which then rained down on the Moon. Scientists used crater counts and topographic data to reconstruct this sequence of events. This period of intense bombardment and reshaping likely occurred throughout the early solar system, affecting numerous celestial bodies before they reached their current stable states.

Significance of the canyons

The carving of canyons highlights the dynamic and violent nature of the early solar system, where impacts like this were common. It provides further evidence of the Late Heavy Bombardment period, during which both the Earth and Moon were subjected to intense bombardment by asteroids and comets. It sheds light on the formation of the Moon’s surface features and helps us understand its geological history.

While the Earth has also experienced similar impacts, most of the evidence has been erased by geological processes like erosion and plate tectonics. The Moon, however, lacks these processes, making it a valuable time capsule for studying the early solar system.