Large crater at Moon’s South Pole is much bigger than we thought, study says

Invisible from Earth as it is on the opposite (dark) side of the Moon, the impressive crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin is considered one of the largest and oldest known impact structures in our planetary region. With an age of approximately four billion years, it represents an important source of research into the early history of the Solar System.

Several factors make the crater difficult to study, including its advanced age, its enormous size (about 1,500 km in diameter), and erosion from subsequent impacts. Mapped by space probes, researchers understand this: The crater had an oval or elliptical shape.

But research recently published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters suggests that the massive geological collapse may not have formed as we thought, and may have been much larger than studies so far suggest. The results may be relevant to future lunar missions to the region.

Asteroid impact created a round effect on the Moon

In the current research, the authors worked with data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, focusing on a new approach to specifically analyze the South Pole-Aitken Basin. So they analyzed 200 mountain formations that they believed were remnants of the original impact.

Distribution and shapes of these mountain-like features proposed a circular effect that distributed planet-forming materials across the lunar surface.

According to the paper’s first author, Hannes Bernhardt, a geologist at the University of Maryland (UMD) in the US, the circular shape is indicative of a vertical impact, such as a stone falling to the ground. In this case, debris is more evenly distributed, allowing direct analysis of materials previously thought to be inaccessible to Artemis astronauts and robots.

Research applications in lunar missions

Lunar rocks can reveal critical details about the moon’s chemical composition and confirm theories about its origin. The hypothesis suggests that the Moon was created following a massive collision between the Earth and a planet-sized object. Recently, India’s Chandrayaan 3 rover found minerals near the South Pole, strengthening the UMD team’s theory of a more vertical impact that formed a circular basin.

According to Bernhardt, the research provides essential information for future lunar missions, guiding explorers to promising areas. A layer thick with materials from the lower crust and upper mantle could provide unprecedented insights into the Moon’s geological history.

Emphasizing the importance of this information for “missions to the Moon and beyond,” the geoscientist concludes: “Astronauts exploring the South Pole of the Moon will have easier access to ancient lunar materials that can help us understand how the Moon and our Solar System were formed.” ” .

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