A team of researchers from the University of Maryland has made a groundbreaking discovery about the moon’s oldest and largest crater, the South Pole-Aitken basin. Contrary to previous theories, scientists now believe that the massive impact that formed this 4 billion-year-old crater was more direct than previously thought.
The research, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, suggests that the impact should have created a more circular crater from which significant chunks of planet-forming material were dispersed across the moon’s surface. This new understanding challenges previous ideas about how the massive impact occurred and distributed materials.
Using high-resolution data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, the team identified over 200 mountain formations scattered around the basin, geologic features that they suspected were ancient remnants of the original impact. By analyzing these features, the researchers found that the impact should have created a more circular crater with debris dispersed evenly around it.
According to lead author Hannes Bernhardt, this discovery has significant implications for future missions to the moon. “A rounder, more circular shape indicates that an object struck the moon’s surface at a more vertical angle,” he explained. This means that Artemis astronauts or robots in the South Pole region may be able to access rocks from deep within the moon’s mantle or crust, which could provide crucial insights into the moon’s chemical composition and help validate theories about how the moon was created.
The team’s research also supports the detection of minerals indicative of impact debris coming from the mantle close to the South Pole by India’s Chandrayaan 3 rover. Bernhardt believes that his team’s work provides critical information for future moon missions, helping mission planners and astronauts identify areas to explore and what materials they may encounter.
The discovery has exciting implications not just for the moon’s formation but also for our understanding of the solar system. As Bernhardt said, “One of the most exciting implications of our research is how it is applicable to missions to the moon and beyond.”
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-moon-biggest-ancient-crater-circular.html